Biodiversity – from “biological diversity” – is the variety of life on Earth. Richness in the diversity of species, as well as in the genetics of species, is vital to the sustainability of an ecosystem. Everything in an ecosystem is interconnected from the insects to the fish to the trees, if a part of this web is out of balance or lost, everything else is affected.
The federal Species at Risk Act recognizes that:
wildlife, in all its forms, has value in and of itself and is valued by Canadians for aesthetic, cultural, spiritual, recreational, educational, historical, economic, medical, ecological and scientific reasons.”
Self-sustaining, healthy ecosystems support biodiversity and are important to the livelihoods and quality of life of all Canadians. Functioning and sustainable ecosystems are essential to human health as they provide food, water, air, shelter, medicine, and support vital ecosystem services like water filtration, pollination, flood control, and regulate our climate. Biodiversity is important culturally and provides recreational, educational, and economic opportunities.
The Sydenham River supports the greatest diversity of freshwater mussel species of any watershed in Canada!
The Sydenham is home to a remarkable diversity of plants and wildlife. There are 129 freshwater fish species native to Ontario and the Sydenham River is home to more than half (at least 80) of these species. But what really sets the Sydenham apart is its mussels. The Sydenham River supports the greatest diversity of freshwater mussel species of any watershed in Canada – 34 of the 54 species of freshwater mussels found in Canada occur in the Sydenham.
The Sydenham River includes critical habitat for several fishes and mussels at risk, including globally threatened species. It is also considered a freshwater Key Biodiversity Area, meaning it is an area contributing significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity.
The Sydenham: A Key Biodiversity Area
In 2017, the East Sydenham River was designated one of 13 freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) in Canada by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) because it supports a great diversity of freshwater species including five globally threatened mussel species: the Northern Riffleshell, Snuffbox, Round Hickorynut, Salamander Mussel, and Rayed Bean. Key Biodiversity Areas are areas contributing significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity.
© 2026 · St. Clair Region Conservation Authority - The Sydenham River Watershed