Biodiversity

The Battery Park City Sustainability Plan puts forth a holistic vision for environmental sustainability. The work described here was conducted to support two goals in particular:

• The Biodiversity and Habitats goal aims to “enhance the biodiversity of plant and animal life at Battery Park City and ensure that the wildlife is resilient to the changing climate.” Specifically, action [S-1.3a] Expand and Enhance Existing Habitats called on BPCA to “conduct a simplified audit of biodiversity to calculate a biodiversity index.”

• The Quality of Life goal aims to “[i]mprove the environmental quality and pedestrian environment of Battery Park City by addressing air quality, noise pollution, and the urban heat island effect.” Specifically, action [S-2.1a] Mitigate the Urban Heat Island (UHI) Effect calls on BPCA to “measure and assess the BPC tree canopy.”

To advance these actions as well as support the maintenance and operations needs of BPCA Horticulture Department, BPCA retained a team of consultants to undertake: 

• Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) Assessment and Recommendations; and 
• Biodiversity Data Audit and Recommendations (including a Plant Species Inventory). 

The BPC Tree and Plant Species Inventories took place during Spring and Summer 2023. The purpose, process, and results of this work are described in this Executive Summary Report.

Learn more about the trees, shrubs, perennials, and other wildlife that contribute to the overall biodiversity of BPC by exploring BPCA’s TreePlotter site. BPCA uses TreePlotter as the digital data management platform for managing and tracking the tree inventory and biodiversity data.

General Biodiversity

Battery Park City is home to many plant species. The 2023 Plant Species Inventory observed:

902 PLANT SPECIES

358 NATIVE SPECIES

70 SPECIES OF TREES