Sustainable Greenspace Plan
涩里番 is transforming聽selected聽campus greenspaces聽to enhance聽campus聽biodiversity.聽聽聽
Moving away from a聽conventional,聽one-size-fits-all approach to聽managing greenspaces, the University is adopting聽a strategy聽known as聽鈥渄ifferentiated management鈥�.聽This聽technique聽tailors care of the grounds to the specific needs of the area,聽where聽high-traffic areas聽remain聽manicured and聽less used聽areas聽are聽mown less聽frequently聽or actively restored with native plants.鈥犅�
By reallocating labour and resources from intensive lawn mowing to targeted ecological restoration, 涩里番 is聽optimizing聽its operations while building a more resilient聽and聽beautiful campus.聽These spaces will function as a living laboratory,聽in which聽students help聽monitor聽biodiversity over time.聽聽
The Sustainable Greenspace Plan builds聽on the聽actions in the聽Biodiversity Plan 2030聽and聽will help 涩里番聽reaches its聽target聽of managing聽30% of campus greenspaces to foster biodiversity聽by 2030.聽
Biodiversity Zones at 涩里番
Two types of biodiversity zones will be established at the Downtown and Macdonald campuses beginning in Spring 2026.
- Active biodiversity zones, such as pollinator gardens, wildflower meadows, riparian zones, and urban forests.
- Low-mow zones where mowing frequency will be reduced.
Student groups will be involved in the design, planting, and maintenance of select zones.
These zones are regularly monitored and maintained.
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Ecosystem services provided by biodiversity zones |
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Frequently Asked Questions
What do we mean by聽biodiversity zones?聽
Biodiversity zones are greenspaces that are managed to foster biodiversity. In other words, their design and maintenance support native species and pollinators and/or accommodate three layers of vegetation鈥攇round, shrub, and canopy. These zones can include pollinator gardens, microforests, low-mow or no-mow zones, thematic gardens, and permaculture or urban agriculture spaces.
What are the benefits of biodiversity zones?聽
Planting a mix of native species creates new sources of nectar, pollen, seeds, and habitat for local wildlife. Similarly, mowing less supports the growth of native plants, the establishment of trees and shrubs, and the provision of food and shelter for local biodiversity. As it grows, this vegetation helps cool the area, improve soil health, and retain water, making our campus more resilient to a changing climate.
How did we select the biodiversity zones?
Campus greenspaces were evaluated based on three key factors:
- Current use type and intensity: Would the space鈥檚 function be compromised by new management practices?
- Potential for ecological enhancement: Is the space ecologically suitable for less intensive, biodiversity-focused management practices?
- Accessibility and visibility: What management practices would be suitable for the space given how easily accessible and visible it is?
Appropriate zones were selected by the Office of Sustainability, Buildings and Grounds, Macdonald Campus Facilities, Campus Planning and Development, and Design Services.
How did we choose which species to plant?
Native species are prioritized in the biodiversity zones. A limited number of near-native, non-invasive species whose ranges are shifting northward due to climate change and that offer ecological and/or educational value are also included. 涩里番 faculty members in Plant Science provided their feedback on the species.
Why do some biodiversity zones look neater than others?
We are letting the biodiversity zones return to a more natural state by mowing less frequently or planting native vegetation. These zones can take several years to develop into well-established spaces that have the appearance of a garden or forest. They are regularly monitored and maintained.
How are the biodiversity zones being monitored and maintained?
Grounds teams are receiving training in invasive species management and have the necessary equipment to maintain the biodiversity zones during the early stages of implementation.
With the help of faculty and students, the zones will be monitored over the growing season. Results will be available for applied student research projects, and lessons learned will be incorporated into best practice guides and future phases.
What is an ecosystem service?
Ecosystem services are the benefits that nature provides to people, such as bees pollinating food crops, plant root systems preventing flooding, and trees providing shade, among many others. Quantifying these ecosystem services is a useful way to demonstrate the value of nature and biodiversity and the importance of conservation.
