Tomlinson Park, which is in Markham, Ontario, at the northeastern edge of Toronto, hugs the Rouge River and is the site of a major ecological restoration effort just steps away from people’s homes. Volunteers were planting trees and shrubs in an effort to restore a barren part of the park… Friends of the Rouge Watershed, was coordinating the event. …The Friends have a decades-long history in this part of the Greater Toronto Area, advocating for the nearby Rouge National Urban Park — the largest urban park in Canada. …The work is backed by new research from the World Wildlife Fund that shows that areas of top importance for ecological restoration are also near where people live, especially in southern Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec. …Using field and satellite data, researchers calculated carbon storage potential and benefits to biodiversity for the areas of Canada that have been transformed by humans.