The latest Parks Report from CPAWS, Canada’s Nature Emergency: Scaling up Solutions for Land and Freshwater, calls on Canada to champion a global goal of protecting and restoring half the Earth, with a milestone target of protecting at least 30 percent of land and freshwater by 2030, and to commit to this at home.

Under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, Canada has already committed to protecting at least 17 percent of land and freshwater by 2020. In 2018 the federal government committed over $1.3 billion for nature conservation – the largest such investment in Canadian history – and brought together public governments, Indigenous peoples, NGOs and other partners to work together towards this target. With a year and a half to go, and only 11.8 percent of Canada’s land base protected, there is still more work to do.

“As countries start to negotiate the next decade’s strategic plan under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, Canada is well-placed to champion goals that reflect the enormity of the nature and climate emergencies we face globally and in Canada,” says Alison Woodley, CPAWS Strategic Advisor. “We are calling on Canada to step forward to help lead the global effort to tackle these interrelated crises, and to commit to greater action at home.”

CPAWS’ report provides a 10 step plan for how Canada can become a true global conservation leader and effectively conserve nature at home.