High Park, Scarborough Bluffs, the Humber Valley, the Port Lands. These are among the special places of Toronto. Each is a unique ecosystem within the busy urban region. Even though Torontonians think of the city as almost entirely built up, savannah or wetlands are only a subway ride away. Special Places explores the changing ecosystems of the Toronto area over this century, looking at the environmental conditions that influence the whole region and at the surprising range of plants and animals you can still find in many of its natural spaces.

Special Places explores the changing ecosystems of the Toronto area over this century, looking at the environmental conditions that influence the whole region and at the surprising range of plants and animals you can still find in many of its natural spaces.

In Special Places, a group of science professionals show how actions in one location produce ripples in every direction. Changes in forest cover, for example, affect not only the organisms that live in the forest but also those that use it from time to time, such as migrating birds and those that live in watersheds fed by water husbanded by forest cover. Changes in bird populations cause changes in the populations of insects on which they feed; changes in insect populations affect the plants on which they feed; and so on.

As a new millennium arrives, it is time to take stock of our effect on the world around us and to consider the consequences. Special Places assesses how we can minimize the impact of human activity on the environment and even remedy some of the harm we have already done. One way is to bridge the gap between scientists and decision makers by making the natural sciences more accessible to everyone.

Special Places was written at the initiative of the Royal Canadian Institute, which is the oldest active scientific society in Canada and is dedicated to bringing the natural sciences to the public. Richly illustrated and written for a general audience, this book celebrates the glory and fragility of these interlocking ecosystems and helps us appreciate the uniqueness of the "special places."