See our full list of events here
The team at UBC Botanical Garden has been very buzz-y getting ready for our 5th annual Biodiversity Days, here we share a sneak peek at some of the new and returning events this May!
About the Author
Lauren Kufske is a WorkLearn student at UBC Botanical Garden, where she serves as a Sustainability and Community Programs Facilitator. In her role, she collaborates with Dr. Tara Moreau and the SCP (Sustainability and Community Programs) Team to bring community events to life. Lauren is in her fourth year at UBC, pursuing a degree in Environmental Science with a minor in Sustainable Food Systems.
In celebration of the UN Day for Biological Diversity on May 22nd, UBC Botanical Garden is partnering with organizations across Metro Vancouver to deliver fun and inspiring events for our community. In alignment with the UN’s 2025 theme of “Harmony with nature and sustainable development”, we aim to raise awareness and inspire action to protect biodiversity on every level. Biodiversity is the variety of living things at the genetic, species and ecosystem levels — when there is greater biodiversity, there is greater resilience to environmental changes and disturbances! In the context of climatic shifts and sustainable development, it is crucial that local and global communities know how and why it is important to protect biodiversity.
Local action is one of our core values. It is often said that you cannot care about something you don’t know about and thus it is our mission to facilitate events that share knowledge and passion to spur community action and collective responsibility.
Event Highlights
For our 5th annual Biodiversity Days celebrations, we are happy to announce 16 new and returning events! Join us for a month full of wonder, knowledge sharing and connection.
We would like to recognize that the land in which we share these events is the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ speaking xʷməθkʷəy̓əm people “People Of The River Grass”. As a land-based organization, the UBC Botanical Garden is eternally thankful for their stewardship and partnership.
Biocultural Diversity Events
One of our key goals this year is to highlight the significance of biocultural diversity in our work. To celebrate World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development on May 21st, we have a special collaboration lined up with the Museum of Anthropology including events like a traditional cedar weaving workshop. That same day there will be Multilingual Garden Tours returning at the garden; including the most popular Mandarin tours, as well as French, German, and Spanish tours!
Another new and exciting collaboration is on the horizon with the Vancouver Black Library’s BIPOC Reading Buddies program. We look forward to hosting a special edition for families in the Garden’s Forest Theatre, including a special tree walk tour to get the wiggles out.
Nature Walks
Some classic Biodiversity Days events at the garden have always been our variety of guided nature walks; where all ages and experience levels are welcome! Some returning favourites this year include the Bat Walk with Dr. Matt Mitchell, a Bird Walk with seasoned birders Bev and Bill Ramey, the Garden’s Pollinator Walk, and the ever-exciting evening learning about ‘Goth Butterflies’ and Moths at UBC Farm.
New nature walks this year include a Biodiversity Tour at UBC Farm and a Moss Walk at Nitobe Memorial Garden and Beaty Biodiversity Museum guided by Dr. Karen Golinski (Collections Curator) and Justin Ngo, (Collections Assistant of in the UBC Herbarium). Near the end of the month, we have a Tree Walk where participants can learn more about the variety of trees on campus and partake in nature bathing.
Family Favourites
Although nearly all of our events at Biodiversity Days are kid-friendly, we have some that are especially perfect for families looking for some Saturday fun! Our Family Nature Walk is back and better than ever with lots of hands-on activities as well as new community partners including PaRX, Urban Bounty, Vancouver Fruit Tree Project and one of my favourites; soil painting with PRSSS. Another returning campus classic is Science Rendezvous, where UBC Botanical Garden will be hosting some fun scavenger hunts at Nitobe Memorial Garden. Lastly, we can’t forget about Beaty Biodiversity Museum’s popular Nature Club; May’s special focus is on all things entomology!
Science and Community
One of my favourite parts of Biodiversity Days is the connections that are made between scientists at UBC, students, and the local community. An event that has fostered these connections year after year is the SEEDS Research to Action Showcase, where students get to share their research projects with UBC scientists and academics, making space for networking and knowledge sharing. We have two more new events in this realm: Stumpy – the Life and Times of a Western Redcedar is a new exhibit opening at Beaty Biodiversity Museum, and a new workshop “Climate Conversations: Local Experts Imagine a Climate-Changed Future” will be hosted here at the Garden by our very own Writer in Residence Dr. Erin Despard!
Events to Celebrate Biodiversity
This year’s fifth annual Biodiversity Days includes a diversity of in-person and online events. Dig into our 2025 program to celebrate biodiversity, with more events to come every week.
See our full list of events here
Funding Acknowledgement
Not only do we wish to highlight the importance of working together with nature but we would like to express our gratitude to all our fantastic partners that work with us to bring these wonderful events to life.
Biodiversity Days is made possible with funding provided through the UBC Botanical Garden Community Outreach Fund and with funds from the SEEDS Sustainability Program.
All of us on the Sustainability and Community Programs team are so thankful that our community continues to share our passion for biodiversity at our various events. Keep an eye on our social media pages for special features of the events to come!
We hope to see you there!