My Hamilton Includes Nature: Celebrating #HamOnt Biodiversity Campaign

On August 1st, the Hamilton Pollinator Paradise Project is launching a campaign to celebrate Hamilton's unique biodiversity. We are inviting you to look around you and take a photo of what you’ve spotted lately and share with us on social media!  But first, what is Biodiversity? 
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What is Biodiversity? 
Biodiversity is the rich variety of plant and animal species on Earth and the habitats they live in, including pristine lands, cities and towns. 

We depend on Biodiversity
Every aspect of our lives, from the food we eat to the water we drink and the air we breathe depends on the resilience of this biological diversity-- a result of billions of years of evolution, of which every single organism serves a purpose in the maintenance of the Earth’s ecology.

Biodiversity Makes Everything Better!
Biodiversity enhances local economies, strengthens ecological systems, and protects social well-being.  Biodiversity conservation, planning and management results in positive impacts to water quality, air quality, and food production to name a few. 

Our Hamilton Nature
Our City is a part of a biodiversity hotspot of many different types of habitats including:
fens, swamps, bogs, Carolinian forests, tallgrass prairies, meadows, thickets, creek valleys, and the rocky profile of the Niagara Escarpment. 
-These habitats support diverse species, including over 1,000 different kinds of plants, 100 butterfly species, 87 fish species, and 43 species of mammals. 
Throughout the month of August, please take a photo and share with us on the following channels:

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FACEBOOK
Tag us @EnvHamilton and @HamiltonNaturalists'Club and use the hashtag #HamOntBiodiversity 

TWITTER
Tag us @EnvHamilton and @HamiltonNature and use the hastag #HamOntBiodiversity 

INSTAGRAM
Tag us @hamiltonpollinatorsproject and use the hastag #HamOntBiodiversity
Let’s celebrate our unique biodiversity!

Biodiversity is the Web of Life but it’s in Danger.
Biodiversity is declining rapidly all over the world, and Hamilton is no exception. Because of habitat loss and environmental degradation, pollution and climate change, species are disappearing at an alarming rate, never to be seen again. Consequently, we are diminishing our chances, and that of all species to build resilience and to adapt to our changing climate.

But if we act now, we can avoid losing many of our Hamilton species. By protecting and restoring our local biodiversity, we can prevent further loss of our native species and safeguard the health of our environment and our community today and for the future.
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To learn more about how you can support pollinators and other biodiversity, and to learn about the work we've started towards a made in Hamilton, Biodiversity Action Plan/Strategy,  visit
https://www.hamiltonpollinatorparadise.org/a-biodiversity-plan-for-hamilton.html