Synthesized ecological design recommendations for the optimization of biodiversity on golf courses with an application to southern Ontario

Abstract

Southern Ontario has experienced one of the most substantial extents of land cover change in the world. The main factor driving this is deforestation for both agriculture and urbanization to accommodate Canada’s highest population density. Additionally, southern Ontario contains the highest density of golf courses in Canada. Research has shown that golf courses have the potential to support more biodiversity than other greenspaces, especially in urban landscapes. The literature contains three important bodies of knowledge: landscape scale ecological design guidelines, local scale ecological golf course design guidelines, and amphibian-habitat specific golf course design guidelines. These have not yet been integrated to recommend how golf courses should be designed to optimize biodiversity. The literature will be critiqued, compared, and then synthesized to inform recommendations in support of biodiversity within southern Ontario golf course ecosystems. These recommendations will be communicated through a set of design recommendations and demonstrations using select golf courses.