At the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) taking place in Montreal, Canada is convening partners around the world to call for greater collaboration toward addressing the dual crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. Conserving nature and halting rapid biodiversity loss is essential to combating climate change and building resilience to its impacts.
Today at COP15, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, and the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change (ECCC) and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, announced that Canada has pledged to join the Bonn Challenge, a global initiative aimed at bringing 350 million hectares (Mha) of degraded and deforested landscapes under restoration by 2030.
The Government of Canada is making an initial pledge of approximatively 19 million hectares through federal programs managed by ECCC, Parks Canada, and Natural Resources Canada that support on-the-ground landscape and ecosystem restoration activities, including the 2 Billion Trees program.
Canada is one of a few countries with large, healthy natural ecosystems. Canada's ecosystems - forests, wetlands, peatlands and prairies to name a few - are an important part of Canadians' heritage and are key elements of their future prosperity and well-being. The restoration of ecosystems and landscapes is a powerful nature-based solution to address climate change and bring back habitat for wildlife.
Building on the momentum from COP15 and working together with provincial, territorial and Indigenous partners and other stakeholders, the Government of Canada is taking a holistic approach to restore degraded landscapes, protect and conserve nature and biodiversity, and improve human and community well-being effectively and equitably.
