WWF-Canada certifies seven post-secondary campuses, recognizing leadership for nature and sustainability

TORONTO, Oct. 16, 2026 - WWF-Canada is excited to announce that seven post-secondary institutions have earned its 2026 Living Campus certification for advancing wildlife habitat restoration on campus with students, faculty and staff. This credential is awarded annually, and a campus must follow through on a new conservation and community engagement plan each year in order to stay certified.

Earning certification for the first time this year are Capilano University in North Vancouver, BC - the first BC school to become a WWF Living Campus - and Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ont. Capilano University led initiatives to promote the safe coexistence of people and black bears as they share the landscape at the edge of the nature-rich North Shore Mountains, while Mohawk College hosted a winter seed sowing workshop that added more than 250 seeds to their rooftop pollinator garden, and planted sugar maple trees, culturally significant to local Indigenous peoples, to foster land-based learning and connection to the land while supporting local biodiversity.

The five other institutions being awarded the 2026 certification have also received it at least once before, showing their sustained dedication to nature through multiple years of achievements.

This year's initiatives included:

Carleton University in Ottawa, Ont. created a new pollinator garden on campus using native species of plants, as well as stewarding habitat and monitoring birds with acoustic recorders in their already-established "Tiny Forest."

Concordia University in Montreal, Que. converted a downtown ornamental garden into a native flower garden that will provide food for pollinators throughout spring, summer and fall. They also added a pond to a garden on their Loyola campus to provide water for insects and other wildlife.

Niagara College in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. continued a multi-year initiative to improve habitat for wetland wildlife such as snapping and painted turtles by removing invasive Phragmites reeds, and hosted a workshop for students on monitoring aquatic invertebrates to help assess freshwater health.

Seneca Polytechnic in Toronto, Ont. added 60 trees and shrubs to their existing Newnham campus green space, including conditions and offer food, shelter and nesting habitat for birds, pollinators and other campus wildlife.

York University in the Greater Toronto Area, Ont. planted native vegetation to restore an area on its Glendon campus that had been impacted by a water main break, and brought students and staff together to gather more than 200 species observations during two inventories of plants, wildlife and other biodiversity on campus.

Nancy van Groll, EarthWorks Faculty Coordinator and Early Childhood Education and Care Instructor at Capilano University, said:

"Our Communities of Coexistence project, which connects habitat restoration, public education, and creative place-based learning to help our campus community coexist with the black bears who share this landscape, was a real highlight of our year. Our partnership with WWF-Canada gave our students hands-on restoration experience, direct access to wildlife experts and a real sense of what coexistence looks like on a campus at the edge of the North Shore Mountains."

Elizabeth Hendriks, V-P, Restoration and Regeneration at WWF-Canada, said:

"It's an honour to support ambitious post-secondary schools in meeting their organizational goals for sustainability and student engagement - and, at the same time, advance our shared objectives to help support wildlife and restore habitats in communities across Canada. With our Living Campus certification, we celebrate the passionate staff, faculty and students who spearhead these efforts, and aim to inspire post-secondary institutions nationwide to invest in nature."

The Living Campus certification is offered through WWF-Canada's Living Planet @ Campus program. Living Planet @ Campus is in partnership with The Barrett Family Foundation.

About WWF-Canada

WWF-Canada is committed to equitable and effective conservation actions that restore nature, reverse wildlife loss and fight climate change. We draw on scientific analysis and Indigenous guidance to ensure all our efforts connect to a single goal: a future where wildlife, nature and people thrive. For more information, visit wwf.ca

For further information:

Emily Vandermeer, Senior Specialist, Media Relations

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