Biodiversity Action Plan

Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth. It includes all living things, such as bacteria, fungi, insects, plants, fish, wildlife and humans. All living things are connected and depend on a healthy and resilient environment to thrive.

Hamilton is a biodiversity hotspot. Hamilton has a diversity of unique natural heritage features, including Dundas Valley, Cootes Paradise, Beverly Swamp, the Niagara Escarpment, Eramosa Karst, among many other woodlands, wetlands, and waterways. These areas are home to a variety of plant and animal species, and contribute to a broader, regional ecosystem The natural spaces across the City are part of the unique identity of Hamilton and provide a refuge for people, animals, birds, insects and plants.

Hamilton is facing a biodiversity crisis, with species and habitats threatened by pollution, invasive species, climate change impacts, as well as habitat loss and fragmentation. In response, the leaders in Hamilton’s conservation community and the City of Hamilton have partnered to develop a Biodiversity Action Plan for Hamilton.

Hamilton’s Biodiversity Action Plan aims to:

• Protect biodiversity by incorporating practices to protect natural areas and greenspaces in policy and land management activities.
• Explore and learn about biodiversity together through partnerships and community science.
• Connect partner policies, processes, data and workflows to streamline efforts to support biodiversity in Hamilton.
• Restore biodiversity across Hamilton through nature-based stewardship activities.

7 Key Priorities have been developed to focus actions that address the threats to biodiversity:

1. Develop an administrative framework to manage the on-going implementation of the Biodiversity Action Plan’s Actions;
2. Understand the current baseline state of Hamilton’s biodiversity to inform future monitoring and priorities;
3. Protect natural areas and their functions within Hamilton over the long-term to support diversity and connectivity;
4. Enhance public awareness of the importance of biodiversity and explore opportunities to enhance biodiversity through stewardship;
5. Protect Hamilton’s biodiversity by implementing coordinated, city-wide efforts to control, remove, and manage invasive species;
6. Enhance local aquatic habitats through sustainable stormwater management practices and restoration of degraded watercourses, waterbodies and wetlands; and,
7. Ensure impacts on, or improvements to local biodiversity are clearly considered in all municipal decision making related to the development or use of urban and rural lands.

Everyone has a role to play to protect and enhance Hamilton’s biodiversity! We are looking for your feedback on the draft Biodiversity Action Plan and how the 2030 Global Biodiversity Framework targets could be included as local targets.

Share your ideas on the documents, complete a survey, and share a story about how Hamilton’s biodiversity has impacted you!

In Person Events

You can also visit us in person at these events:

• Open House Meeting #1 held June 15, 2023
• Open Streets Pop-up - June 18, 2023 from 10 am to 2 pm near Bernie Morelli Recreation Centre
• Open House Meeting #2 - June 26, 2023 from 4 to 8 pm at Dundas Town Hall

Open House Display Panels (PDF, 25 MB)

Virtual Public Information Meeting (June 8, 2023)