Prior to significant declines, the Nine-spotted Lady Beetle was one of the more common lady beetle species in Canada occurring in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. The  purpose of this project is to better understand how the HHLT can contribute to the recovery and restoration of this species through understanding inventory and monitoring protocols and preferred habitat requirements that would contribute to the recovery and restoration of this endangered species.

Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems. They directly or indirectly support millions of people and provide goods and services to them. They support important processes like the movement of water into streams and oceans; decay of organic matter; release of nitrogen, sulfur, and carbon into the atmosphere; removal of nutrients, sediment and organic matter from water moving into the wetland; and the growth and development of all organisms dependent on them. The direct benefits of wetlands are in the form of fish, agriculture, fuelwood, recreation and water supply, etc. and their indirect benefits arise from functions occurring within the ecosystem such as flood control, ground water recharge and storm protection. Key questions to be answered include:
a) What are the key socio-economic values typically associated with wetland ecosystems?
b) What are the protocols typically used to estimate the values of the goods and services provided by wetlands?
c) Have other organizations with similar wetland ecosystems to those found in Haliburton County undertaken an analysis of the value of the goods and services associated with their wetlands?