© Marc Sardi / WWF-Canada lavender growing in an urban garden

BIOPOLIS PROJECTS

Explore Biopolis projects and discover how citizens, researchers, institutions, businesses and community organizations are supporting biodiversity in cities across Southern Québec.

Explore Biodiversity Projects

The projects listed on Biopolis are diverse and a source of inspiration for all. They were selected according to their objectives to enhance and preserve urban biodiversity in cities across Southern Québec. Explore our featured projects to discover how citizens, researchers, institutions, businesses and community organizations are working to support urban biodiversity.

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    Urban Wildlife Crossing

    Urban Wildlife Crossing

    In the framework of an urban boulevard extension, the City of Montréal has put in place different measures to enhance quality of natural habitats and connectivity in an area of ecological interest. A wildlife crossing was built as an integrated component of the civil engineering infrastructure in order to facilitate animal movement between natural habitats on both sides of the boulevard. Infrared wildlife cameras have demonstrated its efficiency: several animals are seen using the corridor, including the Milk Snake, a species of special concern in Canada, and likely to be designated as threatened or vulnerable in Québec.

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    Diversité floristique des marécages riverains

    Diversité floristique des marécages riverains

    Impacts de l’urbanisation sur la diversité floristique des marécages riverains – IRBV – Université de Montréal

    L’urbanisation représente une menace majeure pour la biodiversité, favorisant généralement une homogénéisation des communautés floristiques. Cette menace est d’autant plus grande dans les milieux riverains où les communautés sont à la fois perturbées par les activités humaines environnantes que par la gestion des niveaux d’eau des rivières. La canalisation des eaux de pluie vers le réseau de drainage artificiel est aussi une menace importante pour ces habitats dont la dynamique dépend de la présence d’eau.

    Les objectifs de ce projet étaient de déterminer quels sont les processus qui influencent la composition floristique (espèces et traits fonctionnels) des marécages riverains urbains, de déterminer si l’urbanisation entraîne une homogénéisation biotique de la flore de ces milieux et d’évaluer le rôle des espèces exotiques dans ce phénomène. Pour ce faire, 57 parcelles de forêts riveraines ont été échantillonnées dans la grande région de Montréal, dont une quinzaine sur le territoire de la Ville de Montréal.

    Cette étude a permis de démontrer que la flore des marécages riverains était principalement influencée par des facteurs environnementaux et surtout par l’intensité des inondations. L’impact de l’urbanisation étant indirect par le biais de l’altération du régime hydrologique des rivières réduisant la susceptibilité aux inondations. L’urbanisation a également induit une différenciation taxonomique et fonctionnelle de la flore, c’est-à-dire une augmentation de la diversité entre les communautés. Cette différenciation s’explique par l’assèchement des marécages les plus urbanisés favorisant ainsi l’établissement d’espèces terrestres.

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    ILEAU

    ILEAU

    The ILEAU project (interventions in local environment and urban architecture) is a program running until 2017 that fights urban heat islands in eastern Montreal. Coordinated by the CRE-Montreal (Regional Council for the Environment of Montreal) (CRE-Montreal) the project is being realized in close collaboration with several local and regional partners who are working together to create major changes in the area. The entire community is invited to tangibly participate in the project by taking action on the ground.

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    IDENT-Cité

    IDENT-Cité

    Launched in 2015 in the Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough, the IDENT-Cité project has two interlocking spiralled paths that were designed to help visitors experience the importance of biodiversity as they explore them. They feature different varieties of deciduous and coniferous trees, with species becoming more diversified as you move towards the center of the first spiral path, only to become more and more similar during the second path. This is the first urban project for the IDENT network, who have already led several experiences showcasing the benefits of biodiversity across the world.

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    Pond Biodiversity in Montreal

    Pond Biodiversity in Montreal

    Biodiversity, ecology and typology of ponds and small lakes of Montreal City -Group for Interuniversity Research in Limnology and Aquatic Environment (GRIL) – Université de Montréal

    Biodiversity is an essential characteristic to consider when elaborating sustainable management and conservation plans for urban water bodies. The latter is determined by the diversity and environmental quality of pond and lake ecosystems in urban settings, two variables still rarely assessed in North America.

    The project’s main objective is to qualify biodiversity and aquatic community structures in 20 urban water bodies of the City of Montreal. The ultimate goal is to define biological indicators associated with habitat quality that respond to environmental factor changes and landscape/management techniques.

    In fact, Montreal urban water bodies support a rich biodiversity composed of plankton, macro-invertebrates, and different community structures. The main environmental factors associated with variability of diversity and community structures are: water body source, presence of macrophytes and fish, trophic level and landscape/management techniques. In order to preserve biodiversity in these water bodies, we recommend the following actions: maintaining shore vegetation and variability in water body type, and adopting optimal landscape/management practices.

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    Tern Colony Conservation in the Saint-Lawrence River

    Tern Colony Conservation in the Saint-Lawrence River

    Héritage Laurentien has been mandated by Environment Canada to undertake a conservation project aimed at protecting and surveying Common Tern colonies located on small rocky islands offshore from the boroughs of Verdun and Lasalle.

    Several anthropogenic and natural disturbances affect the reproductive success of terns nesting on the islands in question. These disturbances include kayaks, water scooters and other watercrafts that wander too close to the small islands where the terns nest. Certain individuals will even deliberately approach the nests and the chicks. Furthermore, certain aggressive species, such as Common Reed and Ring-billed Gull, also invade the islands, greatly reducing available nesting space for terns.

    Wildlife experts from Héritage Laurentien will conduct a survey of tern nests and install a protection device on the islands where the colonies are found. This device consists of a type of loose netting that allow terns to access their nests while preventing gulls from landing on the islands. The project also includes a public awareness component with regards to the tern colonies and the Saint-Lawrence islands ecosystem. Local nautical equipment rental companies have been made aware of the issue and a conference will be offered to citizens following analysis of the survey results. A federal permit has been issued to undertake this project and a report on the status of the tern colonies will be presented to the government.

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    Protection, Restoration and Highlighting of Thomas-Chapais Park

    Protection, Restoration and Highlighting of Thomas-Chapais Park

    Thomas-Chapais Park encompasses one of the richest woodlands found in the eastern portion of the Island of Montreal. The park covers an area of 15,2 hectares and is home to over 11,000 trees and to an impressive diversity of native plant and animal species. In order to preserve the park’s biodiversity and ecological value, a habitat protection and restoration project, funded by the Fondation Hydro-Québec pour l’environnement, was developed. The project has three components:

    Education and outreach

    • An educational pamphlet, aimed at raising public awareness with regards to the protection and richness of the woodland, will be created and distributed to visitors and other interested citizens;
    • A program of educational activities will be developed and offered to youth in the neighbourhood;
    • A network of interpretive signage will be developed along the paths that will allow visitors to learn about the park’s biodiversity and the ways to preserve it;
    • An educational website will be created in order for citizens to learn about Thomas-Chapais Park and its biodiversity.

    Buckthorn eradication

    Uprooting and removal activities will be organized in order to eradicate buckthorn, or at least, to slow down rapid propagation of this invasive alien species. Furthermore, because buckthorn form a dense opaque wall-like bush, control operations will increase the feeling of safety among citizens in the park.

    Restoration of biodiversity

    Trees and shrubs will be planted in order to restrain buckthorn regeneration and to offer complementary habitat and food sources for wildlife.

    All activities will be planned and executed by the coordinator in charge of biodiversity projects at éco-quartier Mercier – Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, in collaboration with the Thomas-Chapais Park Citizen Committee.

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    Paysage Solidaire

    Paysage Solidaire

    Initiated in 2009, the urban agriculture project Paysage Solidaire consists in transforming mineralized, contaminated or underused urban spaces into educational and productive food gardens in the borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. Since 2014, project team members have been specifically working on setting up a local and alternative food strategy throughout the borough. The objectives of the project are to improve food safety for the citizens of the borough, to develop a local and organic food production and to market fresh harvests in a short circuit through two produce stands. The project also aims to supply local grocery stores, restaurants, caterers and food safety community organizations with fresh local produce.

    Paysage Solidaire comprises of:

    • Three food production sites within the borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, in partnership with the SAQ, the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, and the Saint-François-d’Assise Parish.
    • Three educational gardens in partnership with the Centre jeunesse du Mont-Saint-Antoine, the Saint-François-d’Assise Parish, and the Olympic Stadium Esplanade.

    The educational component of the project consists of workshops and training sessions on different topics relative to urban agriculture offered to schools, community organizations, and citizens of the borough.

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    Green Alleys of Montreal

    Green Alleys of Montreal

    A green alley is a place in the city where citizens mobilize (with the help of an éco-quartier, a borough or other partners) to create, green and enliven spaces conducive to environmental actions, sharing and play. Citizens participating in green alley projects share common objectives and values. Together, they pool their efforts and their talents to improve their family’s and their neighbours’ living environments.

    Greening activities carried out in green alleys reduce the effect of urban heat islands, improve air quality, capture runoff water, increase plant biodiversity and provide habitat for small mammals, birds and insects.

    Interventions aimed at limiting vehicle traffic in green alleys enable for the creation of safe spaces for play and for active transportation. The organization of festive events and activities in these alleys contribute to the strengthening of community bonds and to the improvement of safety and belonging feelings of citizens toward their neighbourhood.

    In 2016, Montreal éco-quartiers were involved in over 300 green alley projects. Eleven of the nineteen Montreal boroughs have at least one green alley project developed on their respective territories with the help of engaged citizens and local éco-quartiers. Throughout the Island of Montreal, 346 green alleys can be found, which represents a total length of over 69 kilometres.

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    Arbres publics de Montréal – QuéBio

    Arbres publics de Montréal – QuéBio

    Les Arbres publics de Montréal est un outil numérique qui permet de visualiser plus de 250 000 arbres de la Ville. L’outil est présenté sur le site Internet QuéBio, une plateforme parrainée par le Centre de la science de la biodiversité du Québec. L’inventaire des arbres est effectué par les employés des arrondissements de la Ville de Montréal et rendu disponible sur le portail de données ouvertes de la Ville.

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    Public Trees of Montreal – QuéBio

    Public Trees of Montreal – QuéBio

    Public trees of Montreal is a digital tool designed to view more than 250,000 trees in the city. The tool is presented on the QuéBio website, a platform managed by the Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science. The tree inventory was carried out by the employees of the different boroughs of the City of Montreal and was made available on the city’s open data platform.

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    Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Nestbox Program

    Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Nestbox Program

    In 2012, Ryan Young started a volunteer-driven bird nestbox project in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue with help from a grant from the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation and the city of Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue. Initially targeting Wood Ducks, volunteers built 20 large nest boxes with wood and materials donated by Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue and placed them in the prime habitats in the municipality that were found in the Morgan Arboretum, the McGill Bird Observatory area, and the Parc-nature de l’Anse-à-l’Orme (wetlands in wooded areas).

    With the resulting success of that project, bluebird houses were then placed along the city’s municipal bike path and in open agricultural areas. Ryan has documented each season and recorded all the different species that have used the boxes that include Eastern Bluebirds, Tree Swallows, House Wrens, and Black-capped Chickadees. To date, the project counts more than 30 of these nextboxes, and over 80 % are used by Tree Swallows with a high degree of breeding success. Tree Swallows are aerial insectivores and this species along with many other swallow species have been suffering population declines over the last decade.

    The project also included erecting three Purple Martin nestbox structures along the shore of Lac St. Louis and the Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue canal that have met with some success. The project would not have been possible without the help of dedicated volunteers like George Panciuk and Geoffrey Webster.

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