Identifying and mapping essential habitat for fish and freshwater turtles in coastal wetlands of Georgian Bay

五大湖沿岸沼泽支持大量水生和半水生物种，这些物种利用它们繁殖、觅食和越冬。在格鲁吉亚湾东部的休伦湖，许多沿海湿地仍然相对不受人类干扰，沿海湿地的完整性受到了十多年来前所未有的持续低水位的威胁。最近，由于季节性和全年住宅对海滨物业的需求不断增加，这些沿海湿地的发展压力也在增加。很明显，发展的压力太大，至少在公共和私人土地上的一些湿地无法阻止改变。更有效的保育策略是识别和保护重要的核心生境和连接走廊，让非重要的湿地生境可供相容发展。这样的栖息地排名系统更有可能被政治家和商业利益所接受。

Great Lakes coastal marshes support a large number of aquatic and semi-aquatic species that use them for breeding, feeding and overwintering. In eastern Georgian Bay, Lake Huron, where many coastal marshes are still relatively free from human disturbance, the integrity of coastal wetlands has been threatened by an unprecedented period of sustained low water levels for over a decade. Recently, developmental pressure on these coastal wetlands has also increased because of rising demand for water-front property for seasonal and year-round residences. It is clear that development pressure is too strong to prevent alteration of at least some wetlands on public and private lands. A more effective conservation strategy is to identify and protect essential core habitat and connecting corridors, leaving non-essential wetland habitat available for compatible development. Such a system of habitat ranking is more likely to be embraced by politicians and business interests.