Next week, thousands of delegates from 196 countries will meet in Montreal at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. The aim is to come up with a global agreement to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity, from the genetic level to the level of whole ecosystems. The decisions made in Montreal at this “Nature COP” will have consequences for nature in Alberta, Canada, and around the world.
Read the full editorial as published in the Edmonton Journal, December 3, 2022.
Indigenous protected areas can help conserve Alberta’s biodiversity
BY KECIA KERR DECEMBER 3, 2022
Next week, thousands of delegates from 196 countries will meet in Montreal at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. The aim is to come up with a global agreement to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity, from the genetic level to the level of whole ecosystems. The decisions made in Montreal at this “Nature COP” will have consequences for nature in Alberta, Canada, and around the world.
Biodiversity loss and decline of populations is rampant around the world, and we are now in a dire situation constituting a mass extinction event. This sixth Mass Extinction is the only mass extinction to ever have been caused by a species (that’s us!). Alberta and Canada are not immune to this biodiversity crisis. One in five species in the country is facing some level of risk to their survival and many species that are not yet “at risk” are in steep decline. Urgent action is needed.
One of the biggest topics of discussion in Montreal will be negotiations on a target of protecting 30 per cent of lands and waters by 2030 (sometimes called “30 by 30”) to provide habitat protections. Though a popular narrative these days focuses on asserting Alberta’s distinctly separate views from the federal government on issues, on this issue that is not the case.
A new public opinion poll revealed that 85 per cent of those polled supported committing to the international target of 30-per-cent protection by 2030. The vast majority (77 per cent) of Albertans support the creation of more protected areas to protect habitat for wildlife, and nearly all (95 per cent) said they are concerned about biodiversity loss and wildlife declines. In short, Albertans want more parks and want to see conditions improve for nature and wildlife.
So how do we do that? The 30 by 30 target is ambitious and will rely on new and diverse solutions to meet it. In come Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas or “IPCAs.” This relatively new conservation tool protects both natural and cultural values, while elevating the rights and responsibilities of Indigenous communities.
While the concept may be new to many of us, IPCAs hold huge potential as a tool to protect biodiversity, maintain community connections to the land, act as nature-based climate solutions, and contribute to reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. IPCAs are based in three fundamental and essential criteria: First, they must be Indigenous-led; second, they must commit to long-term conservation; and third, they must elevate the rights and responsibilities of Indigenous communities. Alberta does not yet have any IPCAs, but is poised to see many opportunities for IPCAs in its future — several proposals by Indigenous communities are already public.
Indigenous rights and environmental impacts have long lost out when pitted against immediate economic gains from industrial development. Intact areas that can feasibly support treaty rights are being constantly chipped away by industrial projects, impacting food security, and cultural practices that depend on intact connections to the land.
First Nations have begun to sue the province for these direct impacts to treaty rights and more of these cases are likely to arise in the coming months and years. Despite the relative novelty of IPCAs as a concept, half of those polled expressed support for IPCAs as a conservation tool in the province, with 26 per cent indicating they are neutral, perhaps because no one has seen an example here yet. An act of reconciliation, IPCAs present a path forward to recentre the needs and desires of Indigenous communities in conservation while providing the benefits of healthy landscapes and wildlife populations to all Albertans.
In recent years, nothing has been clearer than the fact that Albertans love their parks (hello, #DefendABParks) and are proud of the province’s natural heritage. This means all Albertans should keep an eye on the Nature COP and be vocal about their support for more protected areas, including Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs), to stop the unprecedented decline of nature.
Kecia Kerr is the executive director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS)’s Northern Alberta Chapter and holds a PhD in biology. She will be attending COP15 in Montreal along with several of her colleagues.