Area of Natural and Scientific Interest
Encyclopedia
An Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (or ANSI) is an official designation by the provincial Government of Ontario
in Canada
applied to contiguous geographical regions within the province that have geological
or ecological
features which are significantly representative provincially or regionally. Three separate designations exist: Life Sciences (or Life Sciences ANSI, or ANSI-LS), a region exhibiting ecological features; Earth Sciences (or Earth Sciences ANSI, or ANSI-ES), a region exhibiting geological features; and Candidate, a region under consideration for such a designation. Some sites with this designation were assessed through the International Biological Program
between 1964 and 1974.
Regions classified as Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest are subject to certain management constraints. Ultimately, land management and stewardship is a municipal responsibility, so that "decisions on the appropriate levels of protection and land uses are the responsibility of the local municipality". Each region is specified to be either regionally or provincially significant for its representative feature.
Government of Ontario
The Government of Ontario refers to the provincial government of the province of Ontario, Canada. Its powers and structure are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867....
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
applied to contiguous geographical regions within the province that have geological
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
or ecological
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
features which are significantly representative provincially or regionally. Three separate designations exist: Life Sciences (or Life Sciences ANSI, or ANSI-LS), a region exhibiting ecological features; Earth Sciences (or Earth Sciences ANSI, or ANSI-ES), a region exhibiting geological features; and Candidate, a region under consideration for such a designation. Some sites with this designation were assessed through the International Biological Program
International Biological Program
The International Biological Program was an effort between 1964 and 1974 to coordinate large-scale ecological and environmental studies...
between 1964 and 1974.
Regions classified as Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest are subject to certain management constraints. Ultimately, land management and stewardship is a municipal responsibility, so that "decisions on the appropriate levels of protection and land uses are the responsibility of the local municipality". Each region is specified to be either regionally or provincially significant for its representative feature.