Nov 9, 2022
OTTAWA, Nov. 9, 2022 The Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) joins the Green Budget Coalition in urging Canada to scale up funding to meet climate and nature goals.
“Major federal investments are needed to accelerate climate action and reverse biodiversity loss," said David Browne, director of conservation for CWF. “These investments will support resilience of Canada’s economy, our communities, and quality of life in the face of rapidly changing climate and dramatic changes to nature and our natural resources.”
The recommendations were crafted by 21 of Canada’s leading environmental organizations including CWF, which co-developed recommendations for sustainable agriculture, freshwater management, fish habitat protection, wildlife health and youth employment in nature conservation.
Sustainable agriculture is central to reversing biodiversity loss, Browne said. There are many ways we can continue to produce quality food for Canadians and the world while minimizing impacts and benefiting nature. To achieve this, CWF and GBC recommend investing $3.46 billion over five years including:
- $500 million to reinstate a National Perennial Forage Conversion Program to provide large scale perennial cover in croplands
- $500 million for a marginal lands program that supports farmers to convert lands of marginal agricultural value to natural features that support biodiversity and ecosystem services
- $1 billion to provide incentives to avoid conversion of native and tame grasslands, which sequester carbon and provide biodiversity and other ecosystem services
- $500 million for 1,000 new farm extension service agents to support agricultural environmental programs
CWF and the Green Budget Coalition also highlight the importance of improving the management and protection of aquatic ecosystems. This includes investing $1.2 billion over five years in a Freshwater Action Plan to improve water quality and quantity in priority watersheds and $324 million over five years to protect fish habitat and expand the Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Fund to restore fish habitat in priority lake and river systems across Canada.
“We are experiencing extreme weather and dramatic changes in wildlife populations. These and other impacts will intensify if climate change and biodiversity declines remain unchecked,” Browne said. “But by taking action now, we can make a difference to the kind of legacy we leave behind.”
The recommendations are being presented as two international summits which provide opportunities for Canadian leadership take place — the UN Climate Change Conference in Egypt this week and next and the UN Biodiversity Conference in Montreal this December. CWF and the Green Budget Coalition believe these are prime opportunities for the government to announce new investments in nature which will benefit Canadians and create a more resilient environment and economy.
To learn more, visit CanadianWildlifeFederation.ca or GreenBudget.ca.
About the Canadian Wildlife Federation
The Canadian Wildlife Federation is a national, not-for-profit charitable organization dedicated to fostering awareness and appreciation of our natural world. By spreading knowledge of human impacts on the environment, carrying out conservation projects to protect wildlife and habitat, developing and delivering education programs, and co-operating with like-minded partners, CWF encourages a future in which Canadians can live in harmony with nature. For more information, visit CanadianWildlifeFederation.ca.
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Contact:
Heather Robison, Media and Community Relations Officer,
heatherr@cwf-fcf.org
613-599-9594 x 212
Or
media@cwf-fcf.org