Maple Ridge biodiversity study puts water, ecosystem health in focus

The City of Maple Ridge is developing a new framework to track the health of local ecosystems and guide how biodiversity is considered as the community grows.

Council recently received an update on the city’s Biodiversity Health and Indicators Study, which is expected to be completed in early 2027.

The project is intended to give the city a way to better understand and monitor biodiversity and connect those findings to decisions around development, infrastructure, parks and other municipal services.

Rather than examining individual environmental features in isolation, the study is looking at how land, water, wildlife and people interact as part of a broader ecological system.

Early public engagement suggests water is top of mind for residents.

An online survey and interactive map available between June 8 and Aug. 4 received 112 responses, while the city also held a June 15 open house and consulted its Climate and Environment Advisory Committee in July.

According to the city, streams, wetlands, groundwater, salmon, watershed health, water quality and water availability emerged as the strongest themes from the engagement.

Residents also described connections between forests, streams, wildlife, food systems and neighbourhoods, drawing on experiences ranging from gardening and collecting rainwater to teaching children near creeks and observing changes in local ecosystems.

Concerns about low well levels in Thornhill were among the experiences raised.

The city said it is continuing to engage with Katzie First Nation and Kwantlen First Nation, along with community organizations, land managers, under-represented groups and other residents.

That feedback is helping shape a proposed Biodiversity Health Indicator Framework, which would establish goals and indicators for measuring environmental conditions and identifying actions the city could take in response.

The framework is expected to emphasize protecting ecological integrity, avoiding environmental harm and restoring degraded areas.

It could also include tools such as a biodiversity ledger and a more detailed “habitat-balance” approach intended to connect monitoring with decisions and responses when environmental conditions change.

Guiding principles under consideration include long-term thinking, accountability, transparency, evidence-informed decision-making and respect for Indigenous interests.

The work builds on several existing Maple Ridge strategies, including its Official Community Plan, Resilient Future 2050 Climate Action Plan, Urban Forest Management Plan and Green Infrastructure Management Strategy.

Over the coming months, the city plans to identify areas where important ecological and community values overlap with growing pressures, create maps showing connections between community well-being and biodiversity, and refine potential measures and management actions.

The study will also examine a possible guardianship program and future Water Balance Model.

The city intends to develop an internal roadmap for incorporating biodiversity considerations into development reviews, capital planning, parks management, budgeting and reports to council.

The study is expected to be completed in early 2027, with its framework intended to give the city a longer-term system for monitoring ecological change and responding through policy, stewardship and municipal decision-making.