Building on biodiversity

When you step onto the Fort Garry campus, your eye is drawn to the buildings and the bustling atmosphere of students moving between classes.

But if you stop and look around, you will see that you are also surrounded by a remarkable diversity of plants, insects and animals unique to Manitoba.

Early spring insects become food for migrating songbirds. Bees and other pollinators rely on a supply of nectar from plants throughout the growing season. Trees provide shelter for birds and squirrels.

This is a rich web of life.

The Fort Garry campus has several unique features making this possible. The beautiful tree canopy. The many perennial plantings and greenspaces throughout campus. The proximity to the Red River and the agricultural lands in between.

Together, these distinct ecosystems create habitat for many different creatures.

Learning more about the species who call UM home

This spring, the Office of Sustainability together with the Campus Planning Office, hosted a series of BioBlitz events on the Fort Garry campus, as part of the Campus Landscape Series.

Participants were led on a guided walk around campus by three UM experts, sharing their knowledge of native plants, insects and birds and how to be on the look-out of invasive species.

“Participants learned which native tree species – such as aspen – are preferred for bird nesting in the Point Lands,” says Vanessa Vermeulen, landscape planner at the Campus Planning Office, who notes this information can directly support tree-planting plans in the future.

In addition, signs were posted around campus that week encouraging the UM community to record observations and help identify bird, insect and plant species using the iNaturalist app. These observations were then verified by researchers.

“Using the iNaturalist app, the campus community has the opportunity to collect these snapshots year after year, building a long-term database of species observations,” says Vermeulen.

Another BioBlitz was held this Fall. Together at both events, 559 observations were made.

Prior to the dedicated BioBlitz weeks, the campus community typically recorded 250-350 observations annually, says Vermeulen.

Highlights from UM's 2026 BioBlitz weeks

559 total observations submitted to iNaturalist
307 species identified
118 new species documented on campus, bringing our total known campus species to 718
25 species are non-native to Manitoba (including cultivated flowers)
7 threatened species (most notably the Harris Sparrow).

Missed the Landscape Series this Spring?

Watch the highlight reel for a glimpse of the bees, birds and plants that call the Fort Garry campus home.
Keep your eyes open for a special bald eagle sighting!

Long-term environmental planning and management

The BioBlitz is part of a broader initiative to understand UM’s biodiversity, informing environmental planning and management.

So why is this important?

“Biodiversity strengthens campus sustainability, supports climate resilience, and deepens our connection to the land,” says Vermeulen. It also supports long-term sustainability planning.

Restoring and protecting diverse and native ecosystems can:

reduce maintenance demands
improve long term ecological health, and
align landscapes with Indigenous knowledges and cultural relationships to place.

Additionally, biodiverse areas are more self-sustaining, while spaces with low diversity require significant intervention to thrive.

Three ways biodiversity benefits campus

Enriches learning: Diverse ecosystems serve as living labs where students and researchers gain hands-on experience studying ecology, entomology, environmental science, agriculture, and planning and design.

Strengthens community engagement: Pollinator gardens, tree-planting events and citizen science activities like the BioBlitz foster a shared commitment to caring for these spaces while informing planning for a resilient, ecologically healthy campus.

Protects our campus assets: Biodiverse landscapes support climate resilience by using drought and disease resistant plants adapted to our climate. This helps provide more reliable shade, reducing heat-island effects, and creates stable soil profiles, lowering long-term maintenance needs which is critical for riverbank stabilization.

Biodiversity assessment

Building on a biodiversity baseline study and assessment that was completed in 2018, UM is currently conducting a follow up study.

The first assessment studied the riparian corridors at the Fort Garry campus, and the Ian N. Morrison and Glenlea research stations.

"The 2026 study is similar, but we are conducting our first assessment of the core Fort Garry campus to better understand how we can support the landscapes outside the riverbottom forests," says Vermeulen.

The assessment will evaluate the ecological health of UM's campus by surveying plant communities, pollinators, birds and soil conditions across a range of campus landscapes. As well, deep soil sampling was conducted to support future tree-planting initiatives.

Selected plots range from manicured lawns to native vegetation areas and areas untouched by development.

This knowledge will support recommendations for invasive species mitigation, native revegetation strategies, and long-term maintenance.

The study will also include a risk and vulnerability analysis to identify degraded habitats and outline strategies to protect and restore biodiversity across campus.

We pursue sustainability in its many forms—societal, cultural, economic, environmental. Building a sustainable future is among the commitments you’ll find in MomentUM: Leading change together, the University of Manitoba’s 2024–2029 strategic plan.