Nature is part of the Canadian national identity. This is part of what drives Canada's commitment to maintaining the momentum from the 15th United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity Conference of the Parties (COP15). In December, the world came together and reached a historic agreement to address the critical loss of biodiversity, because protecting nature has never been more important.
Today, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, announced that the Government of Canada will invest $2.32 million for three projects that will contribute to Canada's rich network of protected and conserved areas.
The projects include:
- $1.4 million over four years to the Cape Jourimain Nature Centre to enhance visitor experience, and for nature conservation at the Cape Jourimain National Wildlife Area in New Brunswick. This project will support updates to interpretation programing in order to better incorporate Indigenous history and ways of knowing, and to help protect the Piping Plover (endangered) and the Bank Swallow (threatened) habitats, as well as other coastal, wetland, and forest habitats in the National Wildlife Area. It will also support new efforts to demonstrate the effects of climate change and provide visitors with information on how to mitigate them, while demonstrating how nature is part of the solution.
The Centre is also making important infrastructure updates and continuing efforts to minimize its ecological footprint, using novel approaches to minimize water use and exploring natural energy sources to go off-grid.
- $690,000 over three years to the Nature Conservancy of Canada to explore new avenues for creating and identifying protected and conserved areas in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Nature Conservancy of Canada will work with Indigenous and provincial partners to support policy development that will identify and strengthen protections for provincially significant wetlands; recognize municipal conservation areas as Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures; and examine and document culturally significant wetlands.
- $230,000 over three years to the Friends of Wye Marsh to develop and implement more inclusive practices to better engage underrepresented groups; improve access; and facilitate meaningful connections to nature in the Wye Marsh National Wildlife Area in Ontario. Efforts will focus on building a more inclusive environment for underrepresented communities, including training staff; adding signage that includes Anishinaabemowin (the local Indigenous language); building meaningful relationships with local Indigenous, community, and youth groups; and improving trails to increase accessibility.
The Government of Canada is committed to working with provincial and territorial governments, as well as with Indigenous peoples and other partners, to address the dual crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, while also making nature more accessible to all Canadians.
