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microhabitats that consider habitat suitability not distinguished
by mapping, undocumented/outdated species occurrences, and
changes in our understanding of the species. Unfortunately, most
QPs, being engineering or geoscience practitioners, do not possess
the knowledge or experience required to competently undertake
these sorts of ecological assessments.
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Similarly, many wetlands across Ontario remain unmapped,
partially delineated, or mapped but unevaluated. Wetlands are not
static features—they are continuously changing in response to
geoscience inputs such as water inputs, water outputs, climate,
and land use. Responsibly determining wetland boundaries
and signi昀椀cance requires application of the Ontario Wetland
Evaluation System (OWES) and integrated input from ecological
and hydrogeological specialists, such as a feature-based water
balance. A “wet land” might not be classi昀椀ed as a wetland, and
a temporarily dry-looking land could be classi昀椀ed as a wetland.
Again, the required knowledge and expertise will not be part of the
repertoire of most QPs.
E N V I RON M E N T J OURN A L QUA RT E RLY RE PORT • FA L L 2 02 6 • P AGE 2 1
