Mountain View, CA
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A Biodiversity Plan for the City of Mountain View
As one of the first cities in the country to develop a Biodiversity & Urban Forest Plan, the City of Mountain View is beginning a journey to create a vision for how both the people and nature of Mountain View can thrive together.
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What is a BIODIVERSITY & URBAN FOREST PLAN? A vision and clear set of priorities, goals, and objectives for increasing and supporting biodiversity, including mammals, pollinators, birds, and native plants, and to preserve and enhance tree canopy for health benefits and long-term environmental resiliency. |
Biodiversity describes the variety of plants, animals, and other organisms in a place. In Mountain View, biodiversity is a key ingredient to fostering the health and wellbeing of our community. Through both research and practice, we are learning that biodiverse ecosystems in cities provide tremendous benefits to people, from soothing and restoring our mental and physical health to protecting our cities from extreme threats like climate change.
A great diversity of life is found in Mountain View’s urban ecosystem. The City of Mountain View occupies a critical location with potential to connect the extensive open spaces and protected lands in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains with remnant tidal marshes in the South Bay.
Trees are one of the many components of biodiversity in Mountain View and they play an especially critical role in supporting the health of both people and nature. For this reason, the city’s existing 2015 Community Tree Master Plan will be integrated and updated in the Biodiversity & Urban Forest Plan.
We are inviting our community to take part in shaping the city’s vision for a biodiverse future. We will want to hear from YOU to collectively decide how our city can foster a rich, healthy urban ecosystem that reflects the community’s values and charts a path towards making Mountain View a more livable and vibrant place for both people and nature to thrive.
Status of the project
The City of Mountain View Community Services Department is partnering with the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) to develop a Biodiversity & Urban Forest Plan as part of City Council’s Strategic Roadmap. This new Plan will replace the existing 2015 Community Tree Master Plan.
The Plan will be built from a thoughtful synthesis of science-based guidance and community needs, values, and priorities.
Science-based guidance
SFEI is conducting a scientific review and analysis to understand how biodiversity is supported in the city today and identify opportunities to improve biodiversity support in the future. These analyses are currently underway and will underpin the development of a science-based Plan that effectively fosters healthier, more resilient, and more biodiverse nature in the city.
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Snapshot of progress to date: SFEI has reviewed existing city plans, studies, and reports, and is currently analyzing land cover and vegetation types, locating existing habitat patches and wildlife corridors, and identifying focal species and their known habitat requirements to help identify potential opportunities and constraints. |
This map shows some of the important ecological resources within the City of Mountain View, including large native oak trees, park habitat patches, wetlands, and other water features. All of these features play an outsized role in supporting biodiversity in the city.
Community Visioning
A robust engagement effort will be central to charting the Biodiversity & Urban Forest Plan's vision and goals, as well as identifying the strategic mechanisms for realizing those goals. The success of the Plan will depend on the input and feedback that we welcome from Mountain View residents. The city is excited to host and learn from these conversations with residents, organizations, businesses, and stakeholders.
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Snapshot of progress to date: The project team is in the process of developing an inclusive and wide-reaching Engagement Plan that will generate meaningful input from a diverse array of participants. A first draft of the Engagement Plan was presented to the Mountain View Parks and Recreation Commission, and we are integrating the feedback we received. |
Biodiversity Key Terms
BIODIVERSITY - The diversity of every living thing on Earth, from genes to ecosystems. The Biodiversity Plan will focus on creating and enhancing habitat in the City to support a higher variety and abundance of different species, including pollinators, plants, birds, and mammals.
URBAN FOREST - The population of trees and other plants in a city, town, or suburb. The urban forest may be concentrated in a few small areas or spread out across the City, and may be interspersed with non-forested natural resources like fields and creeks.
NATIVE SPECIES - Species that have evolved in a specific geography–in this case, in and around Mountain View. The Biodiversity Plan may also include nearby species that may be appropriate in the near future, given anticipated range shifts as the climate changes.
ECOLOGY - A field of science that specializes in organisms and how they interact with their environment and each other.
URBAN GREENING - Actions taken to increase vegetation in urban areas. Some examples include street tree planting; stormwater retention basin and green infrastructure installation; park creation, protection, and enhancement; backyard gardening; green roofs and walls; commercial landscaping; and pollinator plantings. Done right, urban greening can have a huge beneficial impact on human and ecological health.
GREEN SPACE - An area with grass, trees, or other vegetation primarily dedicated to aesthetic, functional, recreational or habitat preservation purposes in a city.