Environment, Climate, and Hazards

Environment, climate change, and natural hazards

Protecting our natural environment is essential for healthy ecosystems, climate resilience, and supporting opportunities for residents to connect to nature. The region’s forests, wetlands, and riparian areas help mitigate the impacts of climate change and natural hazards, while providing clean air, fresh water, and wildlife habitat. By planning for climate-resilient communities in harmony with nature, we can support a healthy and sustainable region.

​​​Learn about the benefits people receive from ecosystems

Metro Vancouver’s role

Metro 2050, the Regional Growth Strategy, outlines strategies to balance growth, while protecting our vital natural resources. Metro Vancouver and its regional partners are working towards implementation by promoting compact, transit-oriented development and preserving critical lands that support biodiversity. These efforts also help protect communities from the impacts of climate change and natural hazards.

Key Metro 2050 targets include:

• Protecting half of the region’s land base for nature
• Increasinge tree canopy cover to 40% within the Urban Containment Boundary by 2050
• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 45% below 2010 levels by the year 2030
• Achieving and to achieve a carbon neutral region by 2050

Regional green infrastructure network

As the region continues to grow, it is critical to work together to protect, connect, and restore the natural areas we have left. Forests, wetlands, and creeks are vital parts of the region’s green infrastructure. A protected and connected green infrastructure network helps absorb rainwater, reduce flood risk, provide habitat for wildlife, store carbon, cool the air, and support community health and resilience to climate change. Learn more about ecosystem services.

Metro Vancouver developed the Regional Green Infrastructure Network Opportunity Map in collaboration with member jurisdictions, local First Nations. Created using regional-scale ecological data, the map will help planners, developers, and decision makers find opportunities to keep natural areas connected, informing informed land use and conservation choices.

Urban forests

Urban forests include trees within the public and private lands of a city, including those in parks, around buildings, along streets, and in yards. Urban trees grow in tough conditions and face increasing threats from climate change, including droughts, storms, and pests. Healthy urban forests help cool cities, manage rainwater, store carbon, and support wildlife. Choosing the right trees and caring for them is critical to maintaining these benefits in a changing climate.

Metro Vancouver supports regional urban forestry efforts by providing data and resources, convening practitioners, and advocating for innovative approaches that improve the health and resilience of urban forests

The Metro Vancouver Tree Guide

An interactive tool to help users select tree species suited to the region’s current and future climate. The database features over 300 species, including 230 climate-ready options, with filters and expert tips to support informed planting decisions.

​​Try the Tree Guide​

Tree Canopy Cover and Impervious Surfaces report

Metro Vancouver tracks changes in regional tree canopy cover and impervious surface over time. This comprehensive landscape-scale analysis includes an estimate of lands potentially available for tree planting, as well as future loss projections.

​​Regional Tree Canopy Cover and Impervious Surface in Metro Vancouver (2020)​

Tree Regulations Toolkit

This toolkit offers practical guidance on using regulatory tools to protect trees and expand urban canopy. Updated in 2024, it provides essential information that policy makers, planners, and urban forestry practitioners can leverage to protect trees and increase tree canopy cover locally.

​​Metro Vancouver Tree Regulations Toolkit (2024)​

​​Find more resources and studies on urban forests​

​​Invasiv​e spe​​​cies management​

Invasive species are plants and animals that have been introduced to an area without the predators and pathogens from their native habitats that would help keep them in check. They can threaten property and recreational values, infrastructure, agriculture, public health, safety, and the ecological health and diversity of our natural environment.

Metro Vancouver partners with member jurisdictions and other organizations to create resources that support ​practitioners and communities to manage invasive species in the region.

​Sensit​ive e​cosystems map

This map displays ecologically significant and relatively unmodified sensitive ecosystems such as wetlands, older forests, and woodlands as well as human modified ecosystems with high ecological value, such as old fields and young forests.

Ecological health

Ecological health is about the connection between healthy ecosystems, the ecosystem services they provide such as clean air, water, and food — and our overall well-being. The Ecological Health Framework sets out corporate goals and strategies for Metro Vancouver to support ecological resilience, protect natural areas, and nurture nature.

​​Ecological Health Framework (2018)​​

Planning for natural hazards

Metro Vancouver supports member jurisdictions and other partners with data, research, and policy approaches for planning resilient communities.

Metro Vancouver has combined existing separate datasets into a single set of maps — the Regional Multi-Hazard Maps — to improve understanding of potential natural hazards across the region. The natural hazards mapped are coastal flood, river flood, earthquake, and wildfire. The maps support informed land use and infrastructure decisions and help emergency managers better plan for and mitigate risks. These resources are available upon request. Contact RPH-RegionalPlanning@metrovancouver.org.​

Land use best practice guide — flooding and related hazards

Metro Vancouver is developing a guide to help member jurisdictions address risks from regional specific flooding and related hazards, such as landslides, through land use planning best practices. This resource will be available in 2026.

Regional Hazard, Risk, and Vulnerability Assessment (HRVA)

Metro Vancouver is working with member jurisdictions and regional partners to develop a regional-scale HRVA tailored to the unique challenges of the region. With hazards often crossing jurisdictional boundaries, coordinated risk assessment is essential. The HRVA will improve understanding of regional hazards, risks, and vulnerabilities, while supporting land use planning, climate action, and emergency management.