Biodiversity Action Plan

Why we need a Biodiversity Action Plan

At the local and global scale, biodiversity is in a state of decline. To protect and rehabilitate Hamilton’s unique biodiversity assets, a coordinated approach between the City of Hamilton and local community environmental partners has been adopted by the City of Hamilton. The Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) will assist in ensuring that the City and the local conservation community partner organizations work together to enact change. Through these collaborations, actions will be taken for protecting, enhancing, and restoring biodiversity in Hamilton.

Project Partnership

To affect long-term, city-wide improvements to biodiversity, the partners developing the Action Plan come from a variety of organizations. Just like an ecosystem, the diversity of partners helping to write and implement the Biodiversity Action Plan will help make it more resilient. The Hamilton Naturalist Club has taken the lead and has hired a BAP coordinator who is helping to lead the project.

The BAP Working Group Partners include:

• Hamilton Naturalists’ Club
• Environment Hamilton
• Hamilton Conservation Authority
• Halton Region Conservation Authority
• Bay Area Restoration Council
• Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System
• Royal Botanical Gardens
• Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority
• City Staff from Planning and Economic Development and Public Works

What is biodiversity? The word ‘Biodiversity’ means the variety of life on earth. It refers to the diversity of all species within an ecosystem and the ways they interact with each other and their environment. Biodiversity is about the connection between all species, and how they depend on each other to survive. Ecosystems that have a high level of biodiversity are more resistant to long and short-term threats and are generally healthier and more resilient.

Did you know that Hamilton is a biodiversity ‘hotspot’? Hamilton’s geography is made up of regionally unique natural areas such as mature Carolinian Forest, the Niagara Escarpment, Dundas Valley, the Cootes Paradise wetland, and Lake Ontario. The rural landscape of Hamilton also includes extensive swamps, watercourses, and unique woodlands, among many other natural features.