The Laurentian Great Lakes host the largest collection of freshwater islands in the world with approximately 32,000 islands. Many of these islands hold significant ecological, economic, cultural, and historic significance and serve as an ecological refuge under a changing climate and developmental stressors. Despite the importance of these features, there are few resources to guide conservation actions for Great Lakes Islands. Therefore, the Great Lakes Coastal Assembly’s Island Workgroup is aiming to develop a series of island conservation priorities documents specific to each Great Lake to help direct conservation and restoration actions for Great Lakes islands. This nascent work is beginning with Lake Ontario and using the Islands of Life: A Biodiversity and Conservation Atlas of the Great Lakes Islands and regional expert insight to develop a review of the islands of Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River region priorities for conservation. The results of this review will help guide priority-setting by agencies and organizations, support grant applications, and bring attention to the inventory and data needs in cataloging and understanding the current state and conservation needs of Great Lakes islands.
