WHY MEASURE?
Measuring helps us better understand our environment and monitor environmental change. We can track our progress toward our goals.
WHY REPORT?
Reporting provides feedback about our work. It recognizes good performance and areas for improvement. Measurement and reporting serve as an evaluation tool to improve program effectiveness and target our work where it is needed.
TRCA Watershed and Ecosystems Reporting Hub
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) launched its Watershed and Ecosystems Reporting Hub in 2021, to coincide with Earth Day.
This platform takes an innovative approach to reporting on watershed and ecosystem conditions, allowing the user to interactively explore information about TRCA’s watersheds and the waterfront in the Toronto region.
The Reporting Hub identifies current conditions by theme, and explains the importance of different environmental indicators for understanding watershed and ecosystem health. It also shows how conditions are changing over time, and where they are relative to where the TRCA would like them to be.
Moving forwards, the intent is for the Reporting Hub to be utilized as a repository of the monitoring data collected within TRCA’s watersheds, in place of summarizing it within Watershed Report Cards.
Explore the Report Cards
Want to Learn How Other
Conservation Authorities are Doing?
Check out Conservation Ontario’s Watershed Checkup webpage.
HOW DO WE MONITOR?
Scientific study and data collection are essential to making key decisions concerning the protection of natural heritage in Toronto and region.
In 2001, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) developed the Regional Watershed Monitoring Program, a science-based, long-term monitoring initiative. The ecological data collected are used to inform TRCA’s key planning, implementation and reporting activities, and shared externally with partner municipalities, consultants, academia and other agencies.
TRCA’s Environmental Monitoring and Data Management team collects ecosystem data on:
Through scientific data collection, TRCA’s Environmental Monitoring and Data Management team tell the stories about the changes affecting the natural areas and watercourses within our regions.