In Southern-Central Ontario and the Golden Horseshoe, the Niagara Region holds home to 12 municipalities including St. Catharines and Niagara Falls. The area is greatly populated with agriculture and tourism, bringing individuals to the region. In addition, the Niagara Region plays the backdrop to Niagara Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world, and historical landmarks, specifically to the War of 1812.

The Niagara Region can be called the “fruit basket of Canada” as many orchards and wineries are located within the Region. Viticulture plays a large role in the region, creating close relationships between the ecosystem and human activity. This is due to the microclimate formed between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, along with the Niagara Escarpment.

With the Niagara Escarpment in mind, it is designated as an United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Biosphere Reserve. One of 18 biospheres in Canada, the escarpment is a nationally and internationally significant landform for its steep rock faces and cliffs, with unique ecosystems of the boreal needle leaf forests and temperate broadleaf forests.

The biosphere serves an opportunity for sustainable development and protected biodiversity between human activities/development and the ecosystem. The Bruce Trail is found on 890 kilometers of the escarpment and is Canada’s oldest and longest marked footpath.