On March 31st, Canada's main protected areas funding runs out.
Last November, Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that Canada was committed to its UN commitment to protect 30% of lands and waters in Canada by 2030 and would be announcing commitments to Canada's Nature Strategy "in the coming weeks". Four months later, Ottawa has yet to announce new funding, while funding through Canada's Enhanced Nature Legacy fund to expand the protected areas system is set to expire on March 31, 2026.
The Carney government should, at minimum, maintain federal support at levels comparable to those committed under the Trudeau government’s flagship nature programs.
Since 2018, previous Liberal governments have committed $5 billion in major federal funding for terrestrial nature protection, almost $1 billion for marine protection, and another $4 billion in additional "auxiliary" funds of which significant portions were used to expand the protected areas system in Canada.
These investments have supported the establishment and expansion of protected areas, Indigenous Guardians programs, habitat conservation and stewardship, and Indigenous capacity to lead, manage, and benefit from conservation initiatives.
Numerous studies show that protected areas result in a major net economic benefit for surrounding communities, including by supporting tourism, recreation, and real estate industries, by attracting skilled labour which then supports other diverse businesses, supporting carbon offset projects, providing non-timber forest products, and providing ecosystem services like clean water, natural sewage treatment, counteracting floods and extreme weather events, and more.
A new CPAWS study released in February found that protected and conserved areas in Canada generated $10.9 billion in GDP in the 2023–24 fiscal year and supported about 150,000 jobs. The study found that every $1 spent by governments and non-profits on protected and conserved areas generated $3.62 in visitor spending.
Extensive studies also show that nature is also vital for our health and well-being, with time in nature counteracting numerous ailments – heart disease, stress, anxiety, ADHD, chronic inflammation, cancer, and much more, via the psychological feedbacks to our physical health, the abundance of phytoncides - beneficial plant compounds that boost our immune systems when we breathe them in -, and diverse beneficial bacteria and other organisms that diversify our microbiomes.
Protecting nature is a huge net benefit for the economy, for our health and wellness, and is vital for our survival. Canada has made big promises to the world on biodiversity, now the Carney government must show it is prepared to back those promises with real funding.
Take action!
Please SPEAK UP and SEND A MESSAGE to the federal government and opposition members.
YOUR MESSAGE WILL BE SENT TO: Prime Minister Mark Carney, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature Julie Dabrusin, Secretary of State (Nature) Nathalie Provost, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Rebecca Alty, Minister of Finance and National Revenue François-Philippe Champagne, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, NDP Interim-Leader Don Davies, and your own MP.