Lying underneath Canada's biggest city is one of the largest ravine systems in the world—that's 30 times the size New York’s Central Park
, found that the amount of non-native tree cover in the ravines had increased from 10 percent in the 1970s to 40 percent in 2016. If the proliferation of invasive species continues at this rate, Dong estimates that it could reach at least 60 percent in the coming decades.Photograph by Steve Russell, Toronto Star/Getty Images“Without their natural enemy, they’re so good at spreading themselves everywhere and forming this monocultural environment,” says Dong.
Dong hopes that with more time, researchers will better be able to understand how to fight invasive species within this ecosystem. In the meantime, the battle against them so far involves hand-pulling unwanted flora and repopulating the forest with native species. Many such revitalization efforts are community-led by Toronto residents such as Catherine Berka, who is part of the
community group. Berka and other residents restore ravines and educate homeowners on how to take care of the land, especially since around 40 percent of the ravines are on private land.As local interest in the ravines continues to grow, the city hopes to make them a part of Toronto’s international identity. “A lot of the work that we’re doing to promote the use of the ravines to our own residents also lends itself well to tourists,” says Statham.
The city will spend the next decade improving ravines, building new trails and bridges, and planting more native species to lay the groundwork for long-term projects, such as the Loop Trail that will span Toronto.Photograph by Carlos Osorio, Toronto Star/Getty ImagesWhile several trails already exist, the complete loop will take users through nearly one-third of the city’s ravines and more than 20 of the city’s diverse neighborhoods.
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