Justina Ray and Stephen Hazell
Opinion
The Hill Times
The degradation of nature and rapid loss of biodiversity was, regrettably, not a ballot box issue in the federal election. This happened, despite growing appreciation during the pandemic that the natural world, the climate crisis, and human health and well-being are inextricably linked.
But while electioneering dominated the summer months, behind the scenes Canada and Uganda were busy co-chairing negotiations with 196 nations to conclude—by spring 2022—the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. A next stage in implementing the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity, the Global Biodiversity Framework is a strategy that sets new conservation and restoration targets to be achieved by 2030. This is the most important international nature agreement since 1992 and just as urgent as the implementation of the 2015 Paris Accord on Climate Change.
We urge Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to respond to this international call to action in his new government’s first Speech from the Throne by committing to a comprehensive Canada-wide strategy and action plan for nature. The Liberal Party platform included important commitments to nature, such as establishing protected areas and deploying nature-based climate solutions; the Speech from the Throne must go further by committing to a biodiversity strategy and action plan to replace the outdated (and poorly executed) one released 26 years ago.
There are three reasons the government must urgently lead and engage provincial, territorial and Indigenous governments efforts to protect and restore nature in Canada:
First, global biodiversity and the benefits it provides to humanity are truly in freefall decline and Canada is no exception. A landmark 2019 United Nations study concluded that nature is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. There are now less than half as many grassland and shore birds across our country than in 1970. Only about one-quarter of Canadian marine fish and invertebrate stocks are currently considered healthy, with more than a handful in a critical state. Habitats such as wetlands, Prairie grasslands and old-growth forests continue to lose ground every year. In addition to habitat loss, humans are nibbling away at life-support systems by overharvesting fish and wildlife; emitting carbon and other pollution; and unleashing invasive alien species.
Second, this decline is being left unchecked by a hodgepodge of policies and laws that are collectively failing to safeguard nature throughout our complicated federation. Recent research by one of us (Dr. Ray) and her colleagues provides direct evidence for how poorly biodiversity management in Canada is being carried out through a bewildering array of laws and policies. Collectively, these laws and policies prioritize resource development and provide only fragmented and inadequate protection for species and ecosystems, focusing on mitigating impacts project by project, rather than on avoiding impacts in the first place.
To add to this challenge, environment ministries responsible for biodiversity conservation have little financial bargaining power at the cabinet table relative to revenue-generating resource-development ministries. This in spite of the fact that our economy and well-being ultimately rely on a foundation of healthy lands and waters. Yet the bulk of responsibility for co-ordinating action on biodiversity rests with these small, under-funded ministries. A key consequence of this is that considerations for biodiversity and climate are afterthoughts rather than being “mainstreamed” into decision making.
Third, as co-chair of the negotiations for the Global Biodiversity Framework, Canada has an immediate opportunity to display authentic global leadership in nature conservation. If Canada is to walk the talk of a country defined by nature, the new government must not only co-lead these international negotiations, but also begin to develop a collaborative domestic strategy and action plan. For example, the federal commitment to protecting 30 per cent of Canada’s lands and oceans by 2030 is a key element of any biodiversity strategy, but will rely in large part on provincial, territorial and Indigenous governments to deliver. The strategy and action plan must also make room for nature outside protected areas through actions that reduce pressures on and restore nature in cities and working landscapes.
A new biodiversity strategy and action plan would also include actions to “mainstream” biodiversity considerations into policy making across jurisdictions, properly value natural assets, eliminate harmful financial subsidies, and emphasize Indigenous-led conservation.
We are a country defined by nature, but that nature is slipping away. To prevent further degradation, Canada must act quickly to improve our approaches to conserving and restoring biodiversity across our lands and waters.
Dr. Justina Ray is president and senior scientist at Wildlife Conservation Society Canada; Stephen Hazell is counsel at Ecovision.