Question Period Note: Wildlife / Conservation

Wildlife / Conservation

• Canada is working to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 and achieve a full recovery of nature by 2050.
• We are developing a national action plan to implement the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework and build on our significant investments and achievements.
• We have invested $2.3 billion over five years to help Canada conserve 25% of its lands and oceans by 2025, and to work towards conserving 30% of each by 2030.
• We are negotiating Nature Agreements with provinces and territories to establish protected areas, and recover species at risk.
• We are tapping into the potential of nature-based solutions to climate change. Since 2020, we have invested over $5 billion in the Natural Climate Solutions Fund, to plant two billion trees and restore and improve the management of forests, grasslands, wetlands and agricultural lands.

Nature Conservation Efforts Underway
• The commitment to conserve 30% of Canada’s lands and oceans by 2030 is closely linked to the Government’s goal to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030 in Canada and to achieve a full recovery for nature by 2050.
• Since 2015, Canada has increased its conserved terrestrial areas by more than 2%, and area roughly the size of Italy. As of December 2021, 13.5% of lands and inland waters have been conserved.
• As the primary landholder in Canada, provinces and territories will be key partners in advancing Canada’s nature objectives. In December 2022, the Canada–Yukon Nature Agreement was announced, with other similar agreements to follow.
• Another important piece of Canada’s conservation work involves tapping into the enormous potential of nature-based solutions to climate change, whereby taking action to support healthy and resilient ecosystems, we achieve positive outcomes for GHG mitigation, for climate change adaptation, for nature, and for society all at the same time. A great example of that is the planting of trees to help absorb carbon from the atmosphere.
Outcomes of COP15
• The 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity was held in Montreal in December 2022. At COP15, the global community adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework with associated targets. It is anticipated that this new Framework will guide global biodiversity conservation and sustainable use efforts to 2030.
• In addition to driving ambition in international negotiations, Canada made major new commitments and investments over the course of COP15. This includes:
- Up to $800 million to support up to four Indigenous-led conservation initiatives. Once completed, these projects could protect an additional one million square kilometres.
- $350 million in new and additional funding to support developing countries in protecting nature. Canada also joined like-minded countries in a joint donor statement that sets out billions of dollars from the international community to protect and restore nature.
- $255 million toward projects to help developing countries build a strong future, including by fighting climate change, protecting nature and supporting resilient local economies.
• With the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, a comprehensive national biodiversity strategy and action plan to 2030 will be developed.
• Canada’s ambitious nature goals will require a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach. A key forum for engagement will be a newly formed national Nature Advisory Council as well as distinction-based Indigenous Nature Tables. A kick-off symposium to launch this work is being planned.
• This strategy will go beyond protected and conserved areas to cover all aspects of nature conservation and sustainable use, and will be an opportunity to demonstrate domestic ambition and continued leadership on nature conservation and climate action.
• By taking a comprehensive approach, the full scale of biodiversity-based conservation in Canada will be leveraged. While protected and conserved areas will be critical to our efforts, it will also be important to recognize opportunities to address all of the key drivers of biodiversity loss, including land and sea-use change, overexploitation, climate change, pollution, and invasive alien species.

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