Item - 2018.PE29.2

The Parks and Environment Committee:

1.  Directed the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, in collaboration with the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, the Director, Environment and Energy, and the Chief Executive Officer and Secretary-Treasurer, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, to undertake public consultation on The Draft Biodiversity Strategy for Toronto attached to the report (July 3, 2018) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, and report back with a final recommended Biodiversity Strategy in the second quarter of 2019.

2.  Requested the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, as part of their final recommended Biodiversity Strategy, give consideration to:

a.  including "Protect Biodiversity" as the first action and "Restore," "Design," and "Engage" as the other key actions; and

b.  including a review of the existing policies for their effectiveness in protecting biodiversity.

3.  Requested the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, to integrate "ecological integrity" as a policy, management, and scientific framework for the final recommended Biodiversity Strategy.

The Project Manager, Strategic Initiatives, Policy and Analysis, City Planning, gave a presentation on City of Toronto DRAFT Biodiversity Strategy.

This report presents a draft Biodiversity Strategy for Toronto (the draft Strategy) for the purpose of public consultation. The draft Strategy recognizes that biodiversity is a key component of a sustainable city and supports the vision of Toronto being home to biodiverse communities that contribute to resilient urban ecosystems.

The United Nations Environment Programme defines biodiversity as a combination of "bio" (life) and "diversity," generally referring to the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity can be visualized as an interconnected web of life – the variability among living organisms from all sources, including terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

The draft Strategy aims to increase the quality and quantity of natural habitat within the City in order to support healthier, more robust biodiversity and increase access to, and awareness of, nature. Once complete, the Strategy is intended to position Toronto as a leader in conserving urban biodiversity.

The draft Strategy was developed in collaboration with the Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division, the Environment and Energy Division, and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. Input to the Strategy has also been received through work on the Biodiversity Series and the May 2017 former Chief Planner Roundtable on Biodiversity from the Royal Ontario Museum, universities, environmental groups, biodiversity experts, and citizen scientists.