This text is part of the special section Higher Education
As part of the UN Conference on Biodiversity (COP15), 11 Quebec universities signed the Nature Positive commitment. By this gesture, they recognize their fundamental role in the fight against the decline of biodiversity and promise to restore it, to enhance it, at the heart of their campuses.
Biodiversity refers to the variety of organisms, species and ecosystems that inhabit the planet, as defined by the Convention on Biological Diversity. It “concerns us first and foremost, because biodiversity is us, us and everything that lives on earth”, wrote Hubert Reeves in his Manifesto for a new alliance.
This is also the spirit of the Nature Positive Universities Alliance movement, launched by the United Nations Environment Program and the University of Oxford. “We depend on nature for our survival, and nature depends on us,” reads the initiative’s website.
In 2019, scientists from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) estimated that more than one in eight living species could become extinct in the coming decades. The two main causes of this decline would be overfishing and habitat loss linked to deforestation and soil artificialization. Climate change and pollution are also aggravating factors.
While the distribution areas of species will be particularly modified in the years to come, the development of universities in Quebec can play an important role in the protection of natural habitats and the restoration of ecosystems damaged by their own presence and activities. They also embody powerful forces for the production of knowledge through research, the training of engaged citizens and the dissemination of knowledge.
Concrete actions
“Biodiversity is one of the critical issues of sustainability,” says Julien-Pierre Lacombe, sustainable development advisor at the École de technologie supérieure (ETS). We wanted to rally as many Quebec universities as possible to join us in signing this joint commitment. The 11 Quebec establishments, as well as a hundred others around the world, are thus committed to taking actions whose impacts will be measured, monitored and reported annually. The ETS has already started a process in this direction for several years.
During the summer of 2021, five urban biodiversity zones were designed on its campus, which is a leader in this field. Composed of wild meadows and bee gardens, the areas are home to plants rich in nectar and pollen that attract pollinators. On one of the buildings, at the corner of rue Notre-Dame, a biological green roof of approximately 700 m2 maintained without an irrigation system is home to 21 different species of insects. Under construction, another market garden green roof will produce fruits, vegetables and herbs that can be cooked and served at the student café.
The school affirms its ambition to link the Lachine Canal to Mount Royal, by working with its partners and neighbours. “We have a duty to restore the place of nature in the city by creating habitats that favor plant and animal species in a highly urbanized environment,” he adds.
Innovative projects at INRS
“We wanted to show our willingness to get involved and our solidarity with other universities,” says Maxine Dandois-Fafard, sustainable development advisor at the National Institute for Scientific Research (INRS). By signing this commitment, we are setting an example and we can put biodiversity at the top of the list of our priorities, alongside climate change. »
Last year, INRS decided to use the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a frame of reference for its Sustainable Development Action Plan, in which biodiversity is central. “We even want to create an action plan for biodiversity,” says Maxine Dandois-Fafard. During the summer, an inventory of the ecological and wildlife environments will be carried out in order to determine the measures to be put in place.
Innovative research projects are born within the institute, such as iTrackDNA, co-directed by professor and researcher Valérie Langlois. It consists of developing analysis kits to identify species that are of interest to indigenous populations, in particular. Environmental DNA (eDNA) samples are taken from a natural environment and compared to a database to detect the presence of animals such as caribou. “It was done, among others, in collaboration with the Abitibiwinni First Nation,” says Maxine Dandois-Fafard.
As part of the “No Mow May” movement, a British initiative, the mowing of grounds is now delayed and pesticides and other herbicides are banned on campus. Green roofs should also be installed soon. “We disturbed the natural environment by putting our building there. With a green roof, we give birds and insects a place to live,” says the advisor.
Replace gray with green
Embedded in the campus of the University of Montreal, the facilities of Polytechnique Montreal include many paved areas. However, a campus expansion and redevelopment project is underway and will allow the school to honor its commitment to Nature Positive. “We want to achieve a rate of 25% greening and 1,300 square meters more canopy surface,” says Joséanne Bélanger-Gravel, sustainable development advisor at Polytechnique Montréal.
A wooded area will also replace an outdoor parking area and will contribute to the consolidation of the green corridor, an ecological corridor. The school is built on the heritage site of Mount Royal, where many animal and plant species have made their home. “In the longer term, the idea is to reconnect the campus to Mount Royal Park for the student community and any other user,” adds Joséanne Bélanger-Gravel.
Polytechnique Montréal is also taking part in an awareness campaign, launched by Les amis de la montagne, whose objective is to encourage eco-responsible behavior and the protection of the park’s fragile ecosystems.
The other signatories in Quebec
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