The District of Saanich has hosted several opportunities for public engagement to help with the development of the District’s first Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and with an update to the Urban Forest Strategy. Further opportunities for feedback are upcoming.
Urban Forest Strategy update
Saanich’s Urban Forest Strategy guides urban forestry management in the municipality and was endorsed by Council in 2010. Council’s 2019-2023 Strategic Plan includes an initiative to review and update the strategy. This initiative received funding in 2021, and in 2022 Diamond Head Consulting was hired to develop an Urban Forest Strategy Update.
The Urban Forest Strategy Update will recommend a clear vision and framework for the management of Saanich’s urban forest over the next 50 years with a roadmap for its implementation over the next 10 years.
Information about the Urban Forest Strategy can be found at Saanich.ca/urbanforeststrategy.
Biodiversity Conservation Strategy development
The State of Biodiversity Report was presented to Council for information on March 13, 2023. This is part of Milestone 2 of the Resilient Saanich project. The intent of the report is to provide information about ecosystems, ecological communities and species that exist in Saanich, where they are located, their condition and key threats, along with identifying data limitations and gaps.
Along with public input, the relevant findings in the report will inform strategic actions in the development of the Biodiversity Conservation Strategy.
More information about the Resilient Saanich project is available at Saanich.ca/biodiversity.
Strategy questionnaires
Questionnaires were available for public feedback in the spring of 2023. Thank you to everyone who provided valuable feedback.
Public engagement opportunities
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Stay tuned for upcoming further engagement opportunities!
- Community StoryMap - an interactive online mapping tool was developed together with our community to inform both strategies.