Nature United Welcomes Canada’s Commitment to National Biodiversity Action Plan and Accountability Legislation
Media Contacts
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Jacqueline Nunes
Director of Marketing
Nature United
Email: jacqueline.nunes@natureunited.ca
UN Biodiversity Conference – COP 15 – Tiohtià:ke/Montreal, QC – Earlier today, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault, announced the Government of Canada’s plans to develop a national action plan to protect Canada’s biodiversity and table new legislation to enshrine biodiversity accountability.
The following is a statement from Shaughn McArthur, Associate Director of Government Relations at Nature United:
"Nature United welcomes this commitment to create a common framework and roadmap for governments, Indigenous leadership and communities, industry and ENGOs to protect 25% of Canada’s lands and waters by 2025 and 30% by 2030, and to work together to halt and reverse nature loss in Canada. It is a key implementation mechanism that our organization, along with our partners, have been calling for. It is also a clear signal that the Government of Canada is working to put nature on equal footing with climate change as dual and interdependent planetary crises.
Nature United looks forward to working with the federal government towards the development of an ambitious plan, with milestones, that prioritizes Indigenous knowledge and leadership in conservation and that integrates Natural Climate Solutions. We strongly encourage the Minister to ensure that it fully reflects the expertise and experiences of the many Indigenous communities, organizations, and corporate actors taking action on the ground to address the key direct drivers of biodiversity loss.
We commend the government for its leadership, and look forward to the release of further details including next steps, timelines and a process to ensure the development of a world-leading biodiversity action plan and accountability framework.”
Nature United was founded as a Canadian charity in 2014, building on decades of conservation in Canada. Headquartered in Toronto, our organization has field staff located across the country. Nature United supports Indigenous leadership, sustainable economic development and science and large-scale conservation, primarily in British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and Manitoba. Our organization is also working to accelerate Natural Climate Solutions at national and regional scales. To learn more, visit natureunited.ca or follow @natureunited_ca.
We are the Canadian affiliate of The Nature Conservancy, a global conservation organization with more than a million members and a diverse team that includes more than 400 scientists. Our global organization works in 79 countries — either directly or through partnerships — to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. To learn more, visit www.nature.org or follow @nature_press.