Biodiversity Strategy

Biodiversity improves the health of Vancouver and the people who live here.

Biodiversity is the richness of plant and animal species, their habitats, and the ecological processes that sustain them. Biodiversity includes Vancouver’s marine and terrestrial ecosystems.

Our Biodiversity Strategy (5 MB) aims to increase the amount and quality of Vancouver’s natural areas to support biodiversity and increase access to nature.

Together with you and our partners, we are committed to supporting and celebrating biodiversity by greening our operations, and restoring forest, wetland, and shoreline habitats throughout the city.

Where to experience biodiversity in the city

Experience biodiversity in our parks, beaches, or in your own backyard.
- Look in your backyard for songbirds, insects, and mammals like squirrels. Observe how many different plant species you can see and how they differ from one another
- Visit one of Vancouver’s forested natural areas and listen for bird calls at:
- Wander the shoreline and explore the marine biodiversity at:
  - Spanish Banks Beach Park
  - New Brighton Park
  - Locarno Beach Park
  - Kitsilano Beach Park
  - Vanier Park
  - Stanley Park
  - Other parks along the seawall
- Explore the trails along the Fraser River, which is an important contributor to Lower Mainland biodiversity, providing habitat for otters, sturgeon, salmon, and a rich variety of resident and migratory birds. Visit:
- Take a tour of a pollination project in a park near you at:
  - Fifth and Pine Pop-up Pollination Park
  - Jericho Beach Park
  - Sunset Park
  - Oak Meadows Park
  - Cathedral Square
Where to learn about biodiversity

Learn on a tour, with a friend, or on your own.
- Connect with a local organization like:
  - Stanley Park Ecology Society
  - Environmental Youth Alliance
- Participate in a local event like:
  - City Nature Challenge
  - Bioblitz
- Do it yourself. Wander around your neighbourhood or local park and count the varieties of plant, insect, bird, and animal species you find. You can take out a guide book from the library or visit an online resource like:
- Take a tour with Nature Vancouver or join their annual Christmas Bird count
What we're doing to enhance biodiversity

See what we've done and our plans for the future.
- We support research efforts that help us understand the state of biodiversity in the Vancouver, including:
  - Marine bird surveys in English Bay
  - Stanley Park Ecology Society’s annual BioBlitz
- Upcoming goals include:
  - Planting 150,000 trees by 2020 as part of the Greenest City Action Plan. Many of these trees will be planted in natural areas like Everett Crowley Park in an effort to improve the health of forest canopy and habitat for wildlife.
  - Daylighting Tatlow Creek, which will offer open water habitat for invertebrates, birds, and other wildlife, and restore a freshwater connection to the marine shoreline
- We completed:
  - Fifth and Pine Pop-up Park in 2016, a hot spot of pollinator activity in Kitsilano
  - New Brighton Park in 2017, a restored salt marsh already home to marine birds and young salmon, in partnership with the Port of Vancouver and Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh, and Squamish First Nations
  - Upgrades to Renfrew Ravine Park and Renfrew Community Park in 2018, to improve stream biodiversity and access to Vancouver's last wild ravine.

Connect with us

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Biodiversity Strategy

Where to experience biodiversity in the city

Where to learn about biodiversity

What we're doing to enhance biodiversity

Connect with us

Contact information, partner agencies, and website policies