A visitor looks over the Husky courtyard

Nature Positive Pledge

The University of Ottawa has signed the Nature Positive Universities Pledge, an initiative of the United Nations Environment Programme. This means we're doing our part to address both the climate and biodiversity crises, to build more resilient ecosystems, help nature recover, and limit climate change.

Commitments

This pledge commits the University of Ottawa to the following actions:

  • Baseline assessment: Carry out a baseline assessment of the University’s biodiversity impacts, choosing an appropriate scope and metrics.
  • Set smart targets: Set specific, time limited, measurable targets for biodiversity to move towards Nature Positive.
  • Act and influence: Carry out bold actions for nature using the Conservation Hierarchy or 4R's - Refrain, Reduce, Restore, Renew - and use the University’s influence to meet our targets.
  • Report annually: Report transparently on the University’s progress towards these actions on an annual basis.

Our strategy will prioritize removing hardscape, naturalizing our grounds, reducing inputs and harmonizing ecosystem services.

A moth in the Cenovus courtyard

Campus initiatives

The University of Ottawa has already undertaken many initiatives to help protect biodiversity and preserve nature. Here are some examples:

A student stands in front of a bird mural

Bird-friendly windows

We've started to install bird-friendly glass in our new buildings (e.g. STEM Complex), and to paint bird-friendly murals on some of our older buildings (e.g. the University Centre and SITE). These murals help reduce the number of bird collisions, potentially helping thousands of birds.

A green roof at the University of Ottawa

Green roofs

We changed our building standard in 2018 to include the construction of green roofs whenever possible. There are currently eight buildings with green roofs on campus. These roofs help us manage stormwater and provide habitat for insects and pollinators.

A green space at the University of Ottawa

Green spaces

Several signature gardens on campus benefit people, animals, and insects. Some gardens, like the Cenovus Courtyard, have a significant amount of biodiversity, with dozens of varieties of plants and animals. Others, like the Indigenous garden, prioritize native plant species while sharing Algonquin Anishinaabeg knowledge. All of our new garden spaces are prioritizing drought tolerance and aim to have a variety of purposes including:

  • Native species
  • Edible fruit-bearing
  • Pollinator-friendly
  • Indigenous significance
uOttawa community garden

Community gardens

There are over 50 community garden spaces available for the uOttawa community. They incorporate pollinator hotspots to help attract and nourish insects.

Students help clean up litter in the community

Community clean-ups

Several times a year, the Office of Campus Sustainability helps organize community clean-ups with students. These events help divert waste from natural spaces and prevent pollution from making its way into surrounding waterways.

Campus Highlights

A Pollinator Garden at uOttawa
Victoria Rose King, a crafty, dedicated volunteer, created a new pollinator garden on campus in 2022. After participating in WWF-Canada’s Designing Change for a Living Planet 2022 competition, Victoria received a grant to improve green spaces on campus. She chose to help create a new pollinator garden, reflecting her passion for improving biodiversity and beautiful outdoor campus spaces that students can benefit from. This garden is located in Marion Square (across from the STEM Complex) and hosts dozens of drought-tolerant species of pollinator plants, along with edible berries and plants native to Ontario.


Prototyping a New Pollinator Habitat
In 2022, engineering students enrolled in the GNG 1503 prototyping course helped the Office of Campus Sustainability imagine how we could incorporate pollinator habitats around campus. They created a variety of small habitats that will be tested during the summer. One of the teams working on the project was awarded top prize.
 

Marion pollinator garden

2024 progress update

Working Group and targets 
The Nature Positive working group was launched and met twice in 2024. This group comprises professors with relevant expertise, as well as staff and students, and will lead the work to develop targets, metrics to track progress and an action plan. The group is working towards calculating the plantable area on campus. This is the percentage of campus that is currently some form of greenspace, including lawns, garden beds, green roofs or containerized garden beds. This metric shows the current green space available on campus and the potential areas that can provide biodiversity benefits. This information will inform the targets set in 2025 and ensure they are realistic, given our campus context. 

Biodiversity baseline 
During the summer, we conducted two small bioblitzes in Thompson Park, in the three-season garden,  along Louis Pasteur, and in Marion Garden to identify the plants and insects/pollinators found in these areas on campus. We began an update of the outdated tree inventory and added a section to identify which tree species are native to the area. We completed one quarter of the inventory, and will resume this work in the summer of 2025. We are developing a methodology to conduct a more detailed biodiversity study of plants and animals on our main campus in the summer of 2025. 

Greenspace projects 
We also completed several projects to increase or enhance biodiversity and green space. The largest extensive green roof was installed on the University Centre building, and another green roof was added to the Tabaret building. This will help increase stormwater absorption and reduce the urban heat island effect. Two garden sites next to William Commanda Hall and Academic Hall were transformed from empty woodchipped areas to native pollinator-friendly gardens. A total of 365 plants were added to 1,600 m2 of garden space, increasing the amount of pollinator habitat. Two smaller garden sites also had additional native plants added to complete the space. 

Two hand-drawn, anti-collision murals to reduce bird strikes were added to sections of windows in older buildings where bird strikes and deaths had been reported in 2023. Since this installation, there have not yet been any reports of collisions. The Faculty of Health Sciences building complies with the University standard to incorporate bird-friendly glass during construction. A University-affiliated group is evaluating the effectiveness of these interventions. 

Experiential learning opportunities 
The Office of Campus Sustainability worked with several courses on projects related to Nature Positive: 
 

  • Two sections of Global Environmental Challenges (ENV 1101), totaling 500 students, completed a green space survey. This captured some preliminary feedback on what students like, and what they would like to see in future. Although the survey was not representative of the entire campus, these results will help provide some insight to consider when creating a roadmap for campus.
  • Students in Ecosystem Ecology (BIO 3117) worked on a term project to improve disturbed urban ecosystems and restore them to conditions closer to those formerly common to this area, namely grasslands and coniferous forests. Some of the research compiled in these reports was used to apply for external grants for green space projects.
  • Students in Conservation Biology (BIO 3115) worked on a term project to provide recommendations to the Office of Sustainability in terms of on best practices for common conservation strategies for different taxonomic groups.
  • Students in ENV 4120, a research seminar in environmental studies,  developed recommendations for online and in-person engagement sessions to gather feedback on the Nature Positive pledge initiatives and/or roadmap. 
     

2025 objectives 

  • Complete a biodiversity baseline analysis for the University of Ottawa main campus
  • Draft SMART target(s) and get governance approval
  • Create a roadmap of actions that lead to achieving the target(s)Complete two green space enhancement projects on main campus focused on plants native to the area that are beneficial to wildlife and pollinators
  • Develop list of recommended and approved plants native to the area that can be used on campus
  • Expand experiential learning opportunities
  • Create an annual report 
uOttawa logo

Join the initiative

If you would like to be a part of the uOttawa group working to help preserve nature, we are always looking for more help.
Email us