Biodiversity Action Plan

Why Hamilton needs 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, restoring, connecting and exploring biodiversity in Hamilton.

Project Partnership

To affect long-term, city-wide improvements to biodiversity, the partners implementing the Biodiversity Action Plan come from a variety of organizations. Just like an ecosystem, the diversity of partners working together to implement the Biodiversity Action Plan will help make the plan more resilient. 

The BAP Leading Partners include:

• Hamilton Naturalists’ Club
• Green Venture
• Hamilton Conservation Authority
• Bay Area Restoration Council
• McMaster University
• City of Hamilton Staff from the Planning and Economic Development Department and Public Works Department

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.