Canada’s Biodiversity Strategy: Building a New Way Forward For Nature

Photo: Petr Ganaj

Hannah Carey, RCEN Biodiversity Caucus Steering Committee Member

In December of 2022, Canada, along with almost 200 additional countries, adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) at the UN COP15 hosted in Montreal. The KMGBF presents 23 targets to be completed by 2030 which will enable progress towards the four goals for 2050. The overarching objective is to halt and reverse nature loss and the goals and targets described are ambitious and necessary. To accomplish these will require collaboration and dedicated actions - beyond anything we’ve seen before. 

With the signing of this new agreement, each country is now responsible for developing a National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP). The goal of this plan is to keep countries accountable, and create something achievable and successful. 

As many of us are already aware, we are currently in a biodiversity crisis. In Canada, over 5,000 species are listed as critically imperiled, imperiled, or vulnerable (1). Continuing to suffer species losses will be to the detriment of multiple sectors and communities. By 2030, major political, cultural, and societal shifts need to be underway and this NBSAP could be the catalyst we need. This plan also provides opportunities to work towards reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples - a critical aspect to environmental protection and restoration. 

Over the next year, the Canadian federal government plans to build our NBSAP with input from the public and various expert components. The federal government began the public consultation period with a symposium on May 15, 2023. Following this, a public survey was available until July 14, 2023. In addition to completing the survey, the Biodiversity Caucus of the RCEN submitted a letter to the federal government with comments and suggestions.

Photo: Robert So

In our discussions, the Biodiversity Caucus has prepared some feedback as the government prepares its Strategy. Below I present the main ideas and recommendations that came from these meetings:

• We need a coherent, government-wide approach to prioritizing nature. Government participation, decisions, and investments need to happen across departments and levels to be aligned with the common goal of halting and reversing biodiversity loss. Only with full collaboration across all governments and departments will we be able to respond to the needs of nature and properly protect it. 

• Indigenous-led conservation needs to be front and centre. The strategy needs to be developed and implemented with a two-eyed seeing approach. Indigenous perspectives and knowledge need to be consulted and prioritized. The stewards of land and water for millennia hold the fundamental knowledge to ensure that all life on land and in the ocean can recover and thrive. 

• All global biodiversity framework goals and targets should be included and work cohesively not separately. There is no one goal or target that will halt and reverse Nature loss. Many of the threats and causes of biodiversity loss overlap and, similarly, solutions must also do the same. Using readily available goals and targets outlined by the Convention on Biological Diversity to inform the national target setting in Canada would be efficient and thoroughly cover strategic points. 

• The strategy needs integrated success measurements. Having the ability to track and assess progress allows for adjustments to be made and for appropriate parties to be held accountable. We need a clear approach with articulated steps.

• We consider cumulative impacts and identify and deconstruct the drivers of biodiversity loss. Both officially and unofficially protected areas need to be protected (from invasive species, pollution, and development, as examples). Protecting at least 30% of land and ocean by 2030 must remain a core pillar, however, species that exist outside of these areas cannot be forgotten.

• The strategy needs to follow an ecocentric approach. Species, habitats, and ecosystems need to be prioritized and considered in all things. Biodiversity in nature is necessary for human existence, not only in witnessing and experiencing it but also for the ecosystem services we benefit from. Humans are part of Nature – not above it or against it.

• Local government initiatives need funding and support. We need to create a path for cities to make progress regardless of provincial support. Engagement at the local level can be pivotal in connecting and educating people and for developing mainstream momentum.  

• Public engagement and awareness need to be an ongoing commitment. The urgent and ambitious action will require coordination, collaboration, and mainstreaming the importance of biodiversity. Everyone needs to have the opportunity to participate in the decision-making process.

What’s next?

We want your feedback. The Biodiversity Caucus has circulated our letter of suggestions and recommendations that was sent to the Federal Government and we want to know what we missed or requires elaboration. If you have comments to add please send them our way. We will be hosting a meeting on August 24th to discuss and present feedback.

It’s important that as many voices and perspectives as possible are heard. 

There is a lot of work to be done, and much of it needs to be happening in parallel to keep up with the timeline of these goals. This work is long overdue and we need to keep up this momentum. 

We will be submitting the revised letter to the Federal Government in September and hope to continue conversations well into this process and the implementation of Canada’s NBSAP. If we want to protect nature, to demonstrate the importance of this shift, we need to participate and engage with these processes. The world that we wish to live in depends on our voices which are strongest together.

If you aren’t on the mailing list already, please join it by reaching out to outreach@rcen.ca and share the caucus’ submission with your communities.

References

1. Canadian Endangered Species Conservation Council. 2022. Wild Species 2020: The General Status of Species in Canada. National General Status Working Group: 172 pp.

About the Author

Hannah Carey lives in Tiohtià:ke (Montréal), the traditional territory of the Kanien'kehà:ka. She is a lover of all things nature and has worked in the field of conservancy ecology since 2016. Hannah is a current member of the Biodiversity Caucus Steering Committee with RCEN. She has an undergraduate degree in biology from Bishop’s University and a master’s in Natural Resources Management from the University of Manitoba’s Natural Resources Institute.