Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) Framework : Approved!
On April 7, 2021 Planning staff presented Council with a feasibility framework for a 'made in Hamilton' BAP - and it was approved!
Hamilton needs a Biodiversity Action Plan to protect, enhance and manage nature in our city. Development of the framework
is currently underway, led by the Hamilton Naturalists' Club.
Hamilton needs a Biodiversity Action Plan to protect, enhance and manage nature in our city. Development of the framework
is currently underway, led by the Hamilton Naturalists' Club.
Biodiversity
Biodiversity (nature) is the variety of life on Earth. It includes all living things and the ways they interact with each other and their environment. Simply put, biodiversity is life. Biodiversity is about connection. All species, including humans, depend on each other to survive. We depend, directly and indirectly, on biodiversity for clean air, water, food, and amazing outdoor experiences. Conserving and restoring Hamilton’s biodiversity is important because healthy ecosystems sustain healthy people and a healthy economy. Hamilton is part of a biodiversity hotspot that includes many different habitats which support hundreds of different species including birds, fish, plants, insects, and mammals.
Nature is on the Decline
Alarmingly, along with the climate crisis, our planet is going through a biodiversity crisis. Animal and plant species around the world are going extinct at 1,000 times the natural rate as a result of human-caused factors, including habitat destruction and sprawl, overexploitation, invasive species, pollution and climate change. In cities, where most of the world's population will live in by 2050, it is critical that healthy biodiversity and near-urban nature be incorporated into urban planning and city building. The City of Hamilton is no exception. Significant actions at the local level can benefit us at home while having a provincial, national, and international impact as well. Cities like Toronto, Edmonton, Guelph, and Montreal and are leading the way with ambitious policies. Hamilton has begun implementing some policies that support urban biodiversity, such as the Urban Forest Strategy. However, we are very far from a protection and enhancement strategy. Hamilton needs a community-developed Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) that guides our city's biodiversity conservation activities. We're on it!
Key Elements of a BAP
The BAP is intended to be a collaborative, multi-stakeholder strategy to guide city-wide biodiversity conservation actions.
- Protect – protect Hamilton’s unique species, habitats and ecosystems
- Enhance & Restore – enhance and restore habitats for species biodiversity to regenerate and thrive
- Educate – educate the public and local leaders about the importance of safeguarding the City’s biodiversity for future generations
BAP History & Timeline
Environment Hamilton and the Hamilton Naturalists' Club have been exploring what such a plan could look like since May 2018. It includes working with community partners, residents, municipal staff, and councillors to improve, protect, and restore habitat through municipal policy. To lead this discussion, we have a Biodiversity Working Group comprised of local environmental groups and City of Hamilton staff.
February 19, 2020 - the City’s General Issues Committee (GIC) passed a motion directing that City staff investigate the feasibility and resources required to develop a Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP), in collaboration with the conservation community and provide a report back with the findings.
April 7, 2021 - the Planning Department presented the Biodiversity Action Plan Feasibility Framework to the GIC. It was approved! We are excited about next steps. Thanks to all who wrote their Councillors, urging them to support a BAP for Hamilton!
February 19, 2020 - the City’s General Issues Committee (GIC) passed a motion directing that City staff investigate the feasibility and resources required to develop a Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP), in collaboration with the conservation community and provide a report back with the findings.
April 7, 2021 - the Planning Department presented the Biodiversity Action Plan Feasibility Framework to the GIC. It was approved! We are excited about next steps. Thanks to all who wrote their Councillors, urging them to support a BAP for Hamilton!
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Biodiversity in Canada
In response to the global biodiversity crisis, Canada has followed the lead of the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity Diversity and in 2015, released 20 targets to improve biodiversity conservation throughout the country by the end of 2020. 2020 has come and gone, and we are no where near achieving these goals and targets. The only way for Canada to come closer to meeting these goals is for municipalities to include and prioritize biodiversity protection, management and enhancement into their governing practices. Hamilton, let's do our part for our city, for Canada, and the world!