Question Period Note: Marine Conservation

Marine Conservation

Our government recognizes the important role that our ocean plays in addressing the global biodiversity crisis and mitigating the impacts of climate change.

It is why we exceeded our 10 per cent marine conservation target in 2019, proudly protecting almost 14 per cent of Canada’s ocean.

This past summer we announced a historic investment in marine conservation, providing almost a billion dollars in funding over five years to reach our new ambitious target of conserving 25 per cent of Canada’s ocean by 2025.

We will continue to work with provinces and territories, Indigenous communities, and Canadians to increase marine protection to 25 per cent by 2025, working towards 30 per cent by 2030.

Marine Protection Standards
In 2019, our government announced two new protection standards, following recommendations from the National Advisory Panel on Marine Protected Area Standards.

Under the protection standard for future federal marine protected areas, oil and gas exploration and exploitation, mining, dumping and bottom trawling will be prohibited.

Under the protection standard for other effective area-based conservation measures, including marine refuges, all activities will be assessed on a case-by-case basis to ensure that risks they may pose are effectively avoided or mitigated.

These new protection standards safeguard our ocean while providing greater certainty and clarity on how these conservation tools are designed.

Eastern Shore Islands Area of Interest
Our government recognizes the importance of protecting Canada’s marine and coastal areas, such as the Eastern Shore Islands area, and working together with communities while supporting a healthy oceans economy.

Next steps for this area include determining a path forward for the future conservation of this area of interest, such as through working with the local fishing industry to address issues of common interest.

Marine Conservation Targets
• On July 22, 2021,the Government of Canada announced a historic investment in marine conservation, providing $976.8 million in funding over five years to protect 25 per cent of Canada’s oceans by 2025.
• To reach the 2025 target, progress will be advanced on:
o New site establishment: Advance work to establish new marine protected areas (MPAs) and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) to meet the 25 per cent target by 2025.
o Effective site management: Manage existing MPAs and OECMs to ensure they are effective in achieving their conservation objectives.
o Collaboration: Building upon and sustaining meaningful partnerships with provincial, territorial, and Inuit and Indigenous governments, industry and local communities, to advance effective ocean planning and conservation activities.
o Advance marine spatial planning (MSP): Advance marine conservation within the broader context of MSP and Canada’s Blue Economy Strategy, to help enable ambitious marine conservation objectives while also allowing for sustainable growth in our ocean sectors as part of the development of a resilient blue economy.
o International advocacy: Continue to take a leadership role along with like-minded countries to advocate for conserving 30 per cent of the world’s ocean by 2030.
• In 2019, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard was directed in her mandate letter to work with the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to develop an ambitious plan, grounded in science, Indigenous knowledge, and local perspectives, to conserve 25 per cent of Canada’s ocean by 2025 (25 by 25), working towards 30 per cent by 2030 (30 by 30). The Minister was also directed to advocate at international gatherings that countries around the world set a goal of 30 by 30.
• Canada currently conserves 13.81 per cent of marine and coastal areas, including 14 MPAs established by Fisheries and Oceans Canada under the Oceans Act and 59 marine refuges. Additional Areas of Interest have been announced as being pursued for Oceans Act MPA designation (e.g., Offshore Pacific, Eastern Shore Islands, Fundian Channel-Browns Bank, and Southampton Island).
• About 283,394 km2 or 4.93 per cent of conserved marine territory in Canada is protected under OECMs. International voluntary criteria for OECMs were adopted at the CBD’s Conference of the Parties in November 2018 (COP14). DFO is currently adjusting its marine OECM guidance to align with CBD guidance, as well as to implement Canada’s 2019 protection standard for OECMs.
Marine Spatial Planning
• MSP is a process that brings together relevant authorities to better coordinate how we use and manage marine spaces to achieve ecological, economic, and social objectives in a balanced way. It’s outcome is roughly equivalent of a zoning plan for the ocean space.
• The Department has launched MSP across Canada, including initiatives in five major coastal areas (Pacific North Coast; Pacific South Coast; Bay of Fundy/Scotian Shelf; Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence; and, Newfoundland-Labrador Shelves), to improve the management and coordination of economic and conservation activities.
• The MSP approach, in collaboration with provinces, territories, and Indigenous Peoples, will be used to co-develop marine spatial plans by 2024.
• Conservation network development is a strategic approach to reaching our biodiversity conservation goals. It will be integrated into Canada’s MSP efforts to ensure that our marine ecosystems are sustainably managed and are able to support economic, social, and cultural objectives in addition to conservation objectives. Engagement for the Blue Economy Strategy highlighted areas where the MSP process may benefit from being modernized. This input is under consideration by the department.
Post-2020 targets and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
• Since 1992, the CBD has provided Canada with a framework to protect its own biodiversity, supporting Canadian livelihoods and wellbeing, as well as the opportunity to influence global biodiversity policy.
• With 196 States Parties, the CBD is one of the most influential international mechanisms to address biodiversity loss, including marine and coastal biodiversity, through global policy change and action. Canada’s targets of 25 by 25 and 30 by 30 for marine conservation are aligned with new global marine conservation targets that are an expected outcome of post-2020 target negotiations at the CBD in the coming months.
• At the upcoming 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the CBD, States Parties will adopt a new post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, including new biodiversity targets to replace the current 20 Aichi targets (2011-2020) that will guide global biodiversity conservation and sustainable use efforts towards 2030 and beyond to 2050. COP15 will be held in two parts. The first will take place virtually from October 11-15, 2021. The second part will be a face-to-face meeting in Kunming, China from April 25 to May 8, 2022.
• COP15 will provide Canada with the opportunity to influence new international policy on the sustainable use and harvest of marine resources and new ambitious targets for marine conservation.

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