Oceans and Freshwater
Canada has the longest coastline in the world, and a marine area that is half the size of our country. But our marine ecosystems tend to be out of sight and out of mind. And now, they are in serious trouble. We have protected less than 1% of Canada's marine waters. The Canada is also home to some of the largest and most intact freshwater lakes on Earth in Georgian Bay, Lake Superior, Lake Winnipeg, Great Slave Lake and Great Bear Lake. Our freshwater ecosystems are in trouble too.
Our goals:
- Establish a network of marine protected areas in Canada's waters, especially National Marine Conservation Areas (NMCAs)
- Conserve special marine features, like the Hecate Strait glass sponge reefs, cold water corals and the Bay of Fundy horse mussel reefs
- Encourage sustainable use of marine and coastal resources
News
Successes
Years of work by CPAWS, other conservation organizations, First Nations and government has led to a plan for protecting Gwaii Haanas. Our goal is to create a new NMCA by 2010 - one of Canada's first.