AUGUST 2014
H
business elite canada 11
over the next several years.
“Montréal is confirming its
commitment to making sus-
tainable development the
foundation on which the city
is built,” said Ménard. He add-
ed that the city will purchase
many lands to achieve its goal
of biodiversity, which also in-
cludes the planting of 98,000
trees by 2024 and encourag-
ing its public and private sec-
tor partners to do the same.
This touches on the last, but
not least, of the five orienta-
tions which is concerned with
biodiversity: concentrated in
the creation and maintenance
of natural environments and
greenspace. The presence of
more natural habitat including
some wildlife, native plants,
ground foliage and tree cov-
erage is essential to meet the
city’s goal to protect 6 per cent
of the land territory in Mon-
tréal by 2020. Ménard noted
that many new lands will also
be purchased to meet this
goal and to accommodate the
planting of more trees. More
information will be needed
to know about the habitats
and biodiversity that must be
protected in the city to posi-
tively benefit the quality of life
of urban area residents. Not
only are these initiatives help-
ing at the local level, but they
are also making a difference in
the bigger picture by setting
an example for global cities in
terms of adapting to climate
change and reducing harmful
environmental impact.
Biodiversity, according to
Ville de Montréal’s develop-
ment plan, is suffering an un-
precedented decline world-
wide. Climate change and
urbanization are two of the
reasons for this decline. The
presence of vegetation in a
major city, such as Montréal,
and canopy cover are two of
the indicators of biodiversity
in a region. Increasing the
number of plants, canopy
cover and encouraging the
infiltration of rainwater helps
to filter the air and reduces
sources of man-made heat
islands in the urban environ-
ment that attribute to green-
house gases, and disrupt and
prevent ecological growth
cycles.
Rainwater is a fundamen-
tal part of the water cycle in
terms of volume and clean
quality. The city will contin-
