Canada Unveils Strategy to Protect Nature 25 April

A Force of Nature: Canada's Strategy to Protect Nature outlines a plan for how the Government of Canada will deliver Canada's 2030 Nature Strategy.

We envision a Canada that protects, restores, and values nature as a foundation of our economy, sovereignty, and well-being, leading at home and globally, to ensure healthy ecosystems, resilient communities, and prosperity for present and future generations.

Our plan to achieve results for Canadians is built on three pillars:

• Pillar 1 - Protecting Nature in Canada: By protecting and conserving more land and water and connecting habitats so species can move more safely
• Pillar 2 - Building Canada Well: By designing infrastructure projects that work with nature, rather than against it
• Pillar 3 - Valuing Nature and Mobilizing Capital: By using finance tools to fund conservation in a sustainable, long-term way

We are investing over $3.8 billion to protect nature, focusing on measurable outcomes and delivery through 2030. To deliver, we will deepen our partnerships with Indigenous peoples; provincial, territorial, and municipal governments; non-government organizations; industry; landowners; and Canadians.

Pillar 1 - Protecting Nature in Canada

Federal actions to protect nature

• $1.63 billion over five years to advance conservation, support Indigenous-led stewardship, and foster partnerships nationwide, and pair new conserved areas with the data and tools needed to deliver timely decisions and enable responsible development. This will include investments to launch the Canada Nature Protection Fund, driving further private sector investment in nature.
• $444.3 million over five years to expand marine protected and conserved areas, including establishing new sites and advancing agreements with Indigenous partners to support conservation and reconciliation.
• $266.7 million over 11 years to advance the establishment of two new national protected areas under Parks Canada legislation: the Wiinipaawk Indigenous Protected Area and the National Marine Conservation Area in the waters of Eastern James Bay, and the Seal River Watershed Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area and National Park Reserve.
• $231 million over five years to enhance the Indigenous Guardians Programs, including establishing a new Arctic Indigenous Guardians Program.
• $24.4 million over five years and $1.8 million ongoing to ratify the High Seas Treaty and advance the international commitment to protect 30% of the world's oceans.
• $15 million over three years to modernize the location, retrieval, and disposal of ghost gear.
• $90 million over five years for the Wood Buffalo National Park World Heritage Site Action Plan and the recovery of two wood bison populations along the Alberta-Northwest Territories border.
• Canada will join the Ocean Panel, a coalition of serving world leaders working to protect, manage, and use the ocean in ways that support both people and the planet. Canada will work with reliable international partners to reshape the way the world uses our global oceans by advancing transformative actions that increase ocean health, wealth, equity, knowledge, and innovative finance.

Pillar 2 - Building Canada Well

Federal actions to build Canada well

• A portion of the funding will support work to map Canada's landscapes, including ocean coastlines, peatlands, and permafrost areas, providing biodiversity and carbon sequestration data that can be used for project investment decisions and lead to predictable pathways to approval while encouraging proactive investments in conservation.
• $326.6 million over five years and $65.3 million ongoing to protect fish and fish habitat and ensure that development in or near water is done responsibly. This funding will support timely and efficient reviews for a wide range of industrial and infrastructure projects, including energy, transportation, electrical, critical minerals, and forestry. These project reviews are done in consultation with Indigenous peoples and support sustainable development.
• $283 million over five years and $46.1 million ongoing to strengthen the protection and recovery of species at risk across Canada. This funding will ensure that federally listed species at risk, which have increased from 233 in 2003 to 671 in 2025 (188% increase) will be managed responsibly for the conservation of wildlife.
• $412.9 million over five years to restore vulnerable Pacific salmon populations and their habitat, support sustainable fishing opportunities, combat illegal fishing on the high seas, and reduce pressures on at-risk stocks. These ecosystem-wide efforts will build on the more than 12.5 million square metres of salmon habitat already restored through the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative and deepen collaborative efforts with communities in British Columbia and the Yukon, including Indigenous partners. This work will help improve prey availability for southern resident killer whales and support the recovery of culturally and economically important Chinook salmon.
• $81.7 million over five years to stabilize and rebuild wild Atlantic salmon populations through targeted restoration of up to 10,000 square kilometres of Atlantic salmon habitat and monitoring in approximately 50 rivers, and partnerships with Indigenous communities and stewardship organizations.
• The Canada Water Agency will collaborate with Indigenous, provincial, and territorial partners and stakeholders to develop Canada's first National Water Security Strategy to protect one of nature's essential resources and ensure we are managing this vital and strategic resource in the future to meet our long-term environmental, social, and economic needs.

Pillar 3 - Valuing Nature and Mobilizing Capital

Federal actions to value nature and mobilize capital

• Our Government will encourage private sector investments in nature positive outcomes.
• In Canada and around the world, innovative financing models are emerging to help direct private investment toward protecting nature. To capitalize on these tools, we will launch an expert taskforce on natural capital accounting and nature financing in spring 2026.