Overview

The Niagara Escarpment is the most prominent topographical feature of the southern part of Ontario, Canada's most populous province.

The largely forested corridor which defines the Escarpment is 725 km in length and passes through the most heavily developed region of Canada. It is also an area with a rich agricultural heritage; agricultural production ranges from vineyards, tender fruit and mixed farming in the south to apples and beef cattle further north.

There are a number of spectacular waterfalls at the cliff edge, the most well known being Niagara Falls. Erosion through the millennia has created a magnificent gorge such that these falls on the Niagara River are now located 12 km upstream from the main Escarpment brow.

The Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserves includes 190,270 ha (183,311 ha within the Plan Area plus portions of Bruce Peninsula National Park and Fathom Five National Marine Park that are not in the Plan). Although the population of the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve is only approximately 120,000, an estimated seven million people live within 100 km of the reserve. This includes Toronto, the province's largest city, as well as upper New York State, U.S.A. (1.2 million).

In geological terms, a cuesta or escarpment is a ridge composed of gently tipped rock strata with a long, gradual slope on one side and a relatively steep scarp or cliff on the other.

The Niagara Escarpment is as much a hydrological as a geological feature. The headwaters of several rivers rise in the Escarpment and the area is important for groundwater recharge. The uncontaminated water of many Escarpment aquifers is in heavy demand from the bottled water industry.

In February 1990, the Niagara Escarpment was designated a World Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). It is one of only 12 biosphere reserves in Canada, and is part of a network of more than 400 reserves in 95 countries.

This international recognition recognizes the Ontario government's commitment to maintain the Escarpment as a substantially natural environment. For more information on the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve and other Canadian Biosphere Reserves, visit the Biosphere webpages.

Provincial objectives and land use control for the Niagara Escarpment are achieved through the Niagara Escarpment Plan, a land use plan conceived by the Ontario government in 1973 through the Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act. After several years of preparation, consultation and extensive public hearings, the first Niagara Escarpment Plan was approved by the Ontario cabinet in 1985. The Plan has been reviewed every five years since its inception.

The biosphere reserve consists of the Niagara Escarpment Plan Area (defined by provincial legislation) including two national parks. The area covered by the Niagara Escarpment Plan is located within portions of 21 local municipalities two cities and seven counties or regional municipalities. Click here to view a map of the Niagara Escarpment Plan Area.

The Plan outlines land use designations, development criteria, permitted uses and the framework for a Niagara Escarpment parks system. Details can be found in the Niagara Escarpment Plan.

In addition to the 1990 biosphere designation, international recognition for the Escarpment's significance as a natural feature came with the discovery in 1988 of small, gnarled Eastern White Cedar trees (Thuja occidentalis) at the cliff edges and on the cliff faces. With some specimens as old as 1000 years, these trees of "bonsai" proportions are the oldest in eastern North America.