December 16, 2019 – OTTAWA, Ontario – The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) applauds the Prime Minister’s important commitments outlined in Ministerial mandate letters released publicly last Friday, to almost double the area of Canada’s land and ocean protected over the next five years. The mandate letters confirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to conserve 25 percent of Canada’s land and 25 percent of Canada’s ocean by 2025, working toward 30 percent of each by 2030, and to advocate internationally for countries around the world to set a 30 percent by 2030 target.

CPAWS also welcomes the commitment in both the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister of Natural Resources mandate letters, to introduce new greenhouse gas reducing measures to exceed Canada’s 2030 emissions reduction goal, including nature-based climate solutions to help fill the gap, while protecting and restoring biodiversity.

The science is clear that the world faces two primary environmental crises that threaten our planet — biodiversity loss and climate change – and that bold and immediate action to tackle both crises in a more coordinated way is urgently needed.

As stewards of 20% of Earth’s wild forests, its longest coastline, the biggest remaining wild rivers, and almost one third of its land-stored carbon, Canada has a significant global responsibility and opportunity to become a “conservation superpower”.  In the lead up to the adoption of a new global biodiversity framework and targets under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in 2020, there is an urgent need for global conservation leadership and Canada is well-placed to assume this role.

CPAWS is committed to helping deliver on these ambitious land and ocean protection commitments, based on science and Indigenous knowledge. We will continue to work with the Federal Government and other partners, building on progress made over the past four years to expand protection of Canada’s land and ocean, supporting the creation of more Indigenous protected areas, and strengthening protection standards. CPAWS particularly looks forward to continuing to work in partnership with Indigenous governments and communities to advance conservation within a framework of reconciliation, recognizing their leadership in conserving land, water and wildlife. 

CPAWS is also committed to working with the Federal Government and others to help realize the commitment to implement a nature-based solutions fund to fight climate change that will reduce emissions by an estimated 30 MT in 2030 and support better management, conservation and restoration of forests, grasslands, agricultural lands, wetlands and coastal areas.

Quotes: Sandra Schwartz, CPAWS National Executive Director

“CPAWS is delighted that the federal government has committed to protecting 25% of Canada’s land and ocean by 2025, working toward 30% by 2030, and to pursuing nature-based solutions to climate change in Ministerial mandate letters.” 

“We are also pleased with the commitment to implement these commitments based on science and Indigenous knowledge. The evidence is clear that we urgently need to scale up the quantity and quality of our conservation efforts if we are to successfully safeguard life on earth, including our own. There’s no time to waste.”

“Building on the progress made over the past four years, and together with our 13 Chapters and with Indigenous and other partners, we are committed to helping deliver on these important conservation commitments across the country. Canadians deserve nothing less.”

Background

Recent scientific reports have affirmed that the world and Canada face a dual crisis of biodiversity loss and climate change that threatens the future well-being of people and wildlife.

• Habitat loss and degradation are the primary reasons that nature is in crisis, which is why protecting and restoring habitat in parks and other protected areas must be at the centre of our efforts to conserve nature. Climate change is growing in importance as a threat to nature.
• Reducing ecosystem degradation helps to tackle climate change by reducing carbon emissions from land use, and can also help people and wildlife adapt to changing climatic conditions; 
• Evidence shows that in the long term at least 30% and up to 70% or more of our land and seascape needs to be protected and restored to a healthy natural state to reverse nature’s decline. 
• Quality of protection also matters. There is strong evidence showing that successful conservation depends on identifying and protecting areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, and applying high standards of protection and management to these areas.
• Science and Indigenous knowledge-based planning will be key to creating well-designed, well-connected networks of protected areas.
• This commitment builds on work done over the past four years to meet Canada’s international commitment under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity to a milestone target of protecting at least 17% of land and 10% of the ocean by 2020. 
• Canada has already exceeded the 2020 ocean target, having increased protection from 1% to 13.81% of our ocean over the last three years.  On land, between 12 and 13% is now protected, with additional projects underway to fill the gap to 17%, supported by the federal Nature Fund, which is part of the historic $1.3 billion federal investment in nature conservation made in 2018. 
• Investing in protected areas results in proven economic benefits: for example, every dollar spent by federal, provincial and territorial governments on terrestrial parks in Canada results in a $6 contribution to Canada’s GDP, and parks agency and visitor spending supports 64,000 full time equivalent jobs across the country.

About CPAWS
The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) is Canada’s only nationwide charity dedicated solely to the protection of our public land, ocean and freshwater, and ensuring our parks and protected areas are managed to protect nature. Since 1963, we have played a leading role in protecting over half a million square kilometres! Our vision is to protect at least half of Canada’s public land and water in a framework of reconciliation – for the benefit of both wildlife and humans.

-30-

For more information, please contact:
Danielle Tremblay
National Director of Communications
dtremblay@localhost 
613-569-7226 ext 232