McGill University, Canada

Elaboration and early implementation of McGill’s Flagship Biodiversity Plan

Launched in September 2023, the McGill Biodiversity Plan 2030 is an action-oriented framework created to protect biodiversity and its contributions to people. This document responds to McGill’s commitment to create a plan for campus biodiversity that emphasizes native, adaptive, and edible species, as outlined in its Climate & Sustainability Strategy 2020–2025. The Plan also guides McGill’s implementation of the Nature Positive Pledge which it signed in 2022.

The Plan is the result of a year-long participatory process involving faculty, staff, and students from 15 academic and administrative units, breaking down traditional institutional silos and fostering innovative collaborations in the process. This team played a pivotal role in shaping McGill's commitment to monitor, safeguard, and enhance biodiversity through research, education, and daily operations, while also raising awareness of biodiversity within and beyond the McGill community. Significant progress has been made on the objectives set in the Plan, and we are on track to complete half of the objectives within the first two years since the Plan’s launch.

Top 3 Learnings

1. We leveraged expertise from faculty and enthusiasm of students to shape a robust biodiversity plan.
2. Our collaborative planning empowered units to take ownership and fostered integrated campus-wide actions.
3. We leveraged seed-funding for the biodiversity plan, kickstarting biodiversity research, engagement, and cross-campus promotion.