Government ambition on Kunming-Montreal (COP 15) pact must be matched by accountable 2030 Biodiversity Strategy to succeed.
Unceded Algonquin Territory — Ottawa, ON — September 21, 2023
Canadian environmental groups presented shared recommendations to the federal government on how Canada must act urgently to meet its global commitments to protect and restore nature under
the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) agreed to at COP 15 in Montreal last December. The
recommendations, which drew input from seventeen organizations, was submitted in advance
of the New York World Biodiversity Summit where world leaders are expected to discuss how
they will successfully achieve the targets and objectives outlined in the Framework.
The adoption of the Global Biodiversity Framework is considered a historic accomplishment for
conservation. Environmental groups want to ensure the promises made at COP 15 become
robust strategies that will halt and reverse biodiversity loss and safeguard nature into the
future.
The recommendations include (but are not limited to):
- Centering Indigenous-led conservation;
- Aligning actions across government departments;
- Securing sufficient, long-term funding to support implementation across the country.
Environmental groups also want Canada to remove harmful subsidies and incentives that
support destructive activities like mining and oil and gas extraction.
Long-term commitments from all sectors will be needed to address the many human activities
that cause biodiversity loss and jeopardize the future. The joint submission highlights the
importance of supporting Indigenous Peoples so they can play a central role in attaining several
of the targets.
Federal, provincial, and territorial governments will also have an important role to play in
preventing biodiversity loss. In the coming months, Canada will draft its 2030 Biodiversity
Strategy to guide GBF implementation. Protecting nature must be a priority and
environmental groups expect Canada to be leading the charge. Upcoming milestones like the
fall economic statement are opportunities for Canada to rise to the occasion.
“We are losing biodiversity – including many of our beloved birds – at an unprecedented rate.
The Targets agreed upon at COP 15 are an important step towards mitigating the biodiversity
crisis, and now need to be matched by National Biodiversity Strategies. We are calling on the
government of Canada to take swift and meaningful action that ensures bold and focused
measures are in place to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.”
Silke Nebel, PhD, VP, Science and Conservation, Birds Canada
“Success lies within the details in how we respond to global species loss and increasingly
devastating climate disasters. With Canada making big promises on the world stage, it’s time to
deliver. We need urgent action and a real plan to safeguard and defend the natural
environments that sustain our families and our communities. That means coming together as a
whole government and ensuring that the money is in place to deliver on these important
commitments. Ambition is not enough, we need the determination to get it right for nature and
for our future.”
Sandra Schwartz, National Executive Director, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
(CPAWS)
“To achieve the GBF targets Canadians and the world will need to take actions that rethink and
transform how we protect and use the natural world. Conserving the ecosystems that sustain
us will mean changing things like how we grow and produce food and fiber, how we build and
grow our cities, and how we continue to move goods around the world without spreading
invasive species or harming marine wildlife. Examples of biodiversity loss are all around us
when we see salmon and cod decline, moose and caribou become less common, or grasslands
and old growth forests lost. We need to take action now to conserve and restore biodiversity
for the future.”
David Browne, Director of Conservation Science, Canadian Wildlife Federation
“The planet is out of balance. There are no more credible arguments about balancing the
economy and environment in project-by-project decision-making. Government leaders need to
summon the political will to uphold the halt portion of their halt and reverse commitment — to
say no to further degradation of imperilled ecosystems for economic gain.”
Jay Ritchlin, Director-General Nature and Western Region, David Suzuki Foundation
“Amidst a global biodiversity crisis, it is unacceptable that pesticide use has increased by a
staggering 30 per cent over the past decade. We must do better. Canada has the opportunity to
be a leader in addressing this crisis, starting with enacting policies to reduce pesticide use and
its harms by 2030.”
Cassie Barker, Toxics Senior Program Manager, Environmental Defence
“In the face of mass extinction – the greatest since the dinosaurs – Canada played a pivotal role
in garnering a strong agreement in Montreal. But the real work is happening now. Canadians
are counting on Minister Guilbeault to deliver a strong 2030 Biodiversity Strategy that reflects
our values: reconciliation, accountability, and Canadians’ long-abiding love of nature.”
Emily McMillan, Executive Director, Nature Canada
“Now that the dust has settled from the worldwide fanfare celebrating the signing of the Global
Biodiversity Framework, the test of Canada’s resolve begins. With just seven years to change its
trajectory from one of biodiversity loss to one of species recovery, it’s imperative that Canada
mobilize the resources and political will necessary to achieve this transformational change.”
Julee Boan, PhD, Boreal Partnership Manager, Natural Resources Defense Council
“The ChariTree Foundation encourages Canada to continue to take the lead and honour the
historic Kunming-Montreal global biodiversity deal to safeguard nature. This trailblazing deal
will give children around the world more opportunities to get outdoors and fall in love with
nature. That’s important because you protect what you love and that means more kids will
grow up to protect nature too.”
Andrea Koehle Jones, Founder & Children’s Environmental Education Advocate, The
ChariTree Foundation
“Big promises were made at COP 15, while the world watched hoping that this time it would be
different. Showy speeches do nothing to change material conditions on the landscape, without
implementing real measures to tackle the drivers of biodiversity loss. These recommendations
must be implemented and the government must remember that in the end no one wins from
the obliteration of biodiversity.”
Charlotte Dawe, Conservation and Policy Campaigner, Wilderness Committee
“This year’s climate-fuelled wildfires — and the widespread erosion and flooding that we know
will follow — demonstrate the urgency for developing a biodiversity action plan for Canada that
includes specific targets and actions for restoring these damaged ecosystems. Communities and
wildlife are depending on it.”
Elizabeth Hendriks, VP Restoration & Regeneration, World Wildlife Fund Canada
“To achieve big goals, we need to think big and band together. This is an opportunity to put
solutions in place and address the worst impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss on
wildlife, ecosystems and waters across Canada. They exist. Inspirational models like the network
of connected habitat and protected areas in the Yellowstone to Yukon region offer both hope
and a roadmap for attaining the lofty aspirations set forth in the Global Biodiversity Framework.
We hope Canada pulls every lever to address this crisis.”
Sarah Palmer, Government Relations and Policy Strategist, Yellowstone to Yukon
Conservation Initiative
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Read the full Joint environmental organization input into Canada’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan here.
For more information, please contact:
Nadine Mercure
Director of Communications & Digital Strategy | ALUS
media@alus.ca, 514-258-1706
LeaAnne Ross
Sr. Director Communications & Community Engagement | Birds Canada
laross@birdscanada.org
Jennifer (Jenn) Brown
National Manager, Conservation Communications (Acting) | CPAWS
jbrown@cpaws.org, 416-389-6668
Heather Robison
Media and Community Relations Officer | Canadian Wildlife Federation
heatherr@cwf-fcf.org, 613-599-9594 x 212
Stephanie O’Neill
Communications Specialist | David Suzuki Foundation
soneill@davidsuzuki.org, 780-964-1192
Lauren Thomas
Environmental Defence
media@environmentaldefence.ca, 647-687-2687
Scott Mullenix
Communications Director | Nature Canada
media@naturecanada.ca, 613-562-3447 x230
Jennifer Josenhans
National Coordinator | SeaBlue Canada
jjosenhans@oceansnorth.ca, 902-275-8077
Andrea Koehle Jones
Executive Director & Communications Strategist |The ChariTree Foundation
info@charitree-foundation.org
Kelly Zenkewich
Senior Communications and Digital Engagement Manager | Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation
Initiative
kelly@y2y.net, 403-609-2666 x 126
Rebecca Spring
Senior Manager Communications | WWF-Canada
rspring@wwfcanada.org, 647-338-6274