Campus Naturalization Initiatives
UBC Okanagan is committed to preserving and enhancing campus ecology, biodiversity and naturalized landscapes in ways that reflect our local environment and cultural context.
Guided by ecological-system-based planning and supporting plans, current initiatives include ecological audits, invasive species management, rainwater integration and naturalization projects across campus. Through partnerships with Indigenous faculty, the En’owkin Centre and Traditional Knowledge Keepers, these efforts are being shaped by meaningful engagement and cultural insight.
Featured projects include native planting, outdoor learning spaces and lawn renaturalization, each contributing to a more resilient, inclusive, and ecologically rich campus.
Ecological audits and inventories
Our unit continues to benefit greatly from the information and guidance shared by the Indigenous Studies program’s summer intensives and its ongoing work to undertake campus ecological audits and inventories, which we anticipate will cover more and more areas of campus, through its many seasonal changes, over the coming years.
Managing invasive species
There is work underway to manage invasive species, provide best management practices to support ecosystems and species at risk, and manage rainwater that falls on campus in a way that supports the natural hydrological cycle, with co-benefits to campus ecology and biodiversity.
We acknowledge there is much more work to be undertaken and are leveraging opportunities wherever possible within new projects and renewals to create a positive impact on our surroundings.
Lawn Renaturalization Project
The campus recently initiated a transition of greenspace adjacent to the Reichwald Health Sciences Centre to reduce irrigation requirements and allow for Indigenous plants and flowers to support pollinators.
Additional work is currently underway to determine where and how these efforts can be expanded elsewhere on campus.
En’owkin Centre engagement
In our pursuit of meaningful and culturally sensitive change, we are engaged in emerging conversations with Indigenous faculty, staff and traditional knowledge keepers through collaboration with the En’owkin Centre.
Through ongoing consultations, we hope to co-create and implement strategies that acknowledge and respect local Indigenous cultural protocols, ensuring that their wisdom is appropriately integrated into our naturalized landscape initiatives.
Green buildings
UBC Okanagan integrates sustainability into campus development through high-performance buildings, resilient infrastructure and nature-based systems.