OTTAWA, Oct. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Habitat loss and climate change threaten the iconic plants and animals that bring our national parks to life. That’s why Canada’s two largest conservation organizations have partnered to protect landscapes around these natural areas.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) and Parks Canada (PC) launched the Landscape Resiliency Program, a $30-million effort to support resilient landscapes by conserving up to 30,000 hectares near national parks, connecting habitats and creating protected buffers around the parks.
NCC president and CEO, Catherine Grenier, made the announcement with the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada.
NCC will leverage PC’s $15-million investment to raise matching funds to protect buffer zones and wildlife corridors by working with Indigenous Nations, local communities, property owners and other partners. The protected areas will be located near national parks, including:
- Gulf Islands National Park Reserve and Kootenay National Park (British Columbia)
- Waterton Lakes National Park (Alberta)
- Grasslands National Park (Saskatchewan)
- Thousand Islands, Bruce Peninsula and Point Pelee National Parks (Ontario)
- La Mauricie National Park (Quebec)
- Kouchibouguac National Park (New Brunswick)
- Kejimkujik National Park & National Historic Site (Nova Scotia)
- NOTE: Additional National Park sites may be added.
These areas will be conserved through a variety of ways, such as land purchases, donations, agreements with landowners and tools such as other effective area-based conservation measures.
Nature knows no bounds.
Animals of all sizes need to be able to move freely across landscapes to live, feed, breed and thrive. Large animals like grizzly bears can roam as far as 250 kilometres over the course of a year, following food sources and establishing their territories. Even small animals like endangered Blanding’s turtles will travel great distances in their efforts to find nesting sites. However, human encroachment and the effects of climate change are shrinking the area of land available for the natural movement of animals in and out of our national parks. By protecting lands near national parks, this partnership will expand and connect protected and conserved areas for many of Canada’s most emblematic species.
Parks and protected areas can protect a range of values, including species at risk, representativity, ecological connectivity and climate connectivity. The areas targeted through the Landscape Resiliency Program include some of the most treasured places in Canada where conservation action is urgently needed to halt biodiversity loss and ensure long-term ecological health.
As Canada’s largest non-profit conservation organization, NCC works at the scale and scope needed to achieve the goals of this partnership. Backed by its more than 60-year track record of finding tailored conservation solutions across the country, NCC will deploy innovative technology to identify priority areas for conservation around national parks. The organization will also work with donors, partners, Indigenous Nations and local communities to ensure their protection.
Protecting nature around parks secures critical habitats and natural features that act as carbon sinks, water storage and filtration systems and air purifiers, all of which also support communities’ well-being.
NCC already works with a variety of partners to care for more than 63,000 hectares of conserved lands near to 24 national parks in Canada. The organization will now leverage this new partnership to grow these areas. Connecting already-protected lands with national parks will ensure nature-based solutions and critical ecosystems remain intact for the long term, for the benefit of those who rely on them — plants, animals and people alike.
This partnership will advance NCC’s commitment to be an ally and partner with Indigenous Nations and communities, and to support Indigenous-led conservation efforts.
NCC is mobilizing support across all sectors — private citizens, Indigenous Nations and communities, landowners, businesses, foundations and all levels of government — to leverage the $15-million Parks Canada investment and maximize impact. Only by having everyone at the table can we find solutions to address climate change and rapid biodiversity loss.
Quotes
“This important initiative builds on our longstanding relationship with Parks Canada to address the impacts of the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss in Canada. Nature knows no bounds; neither should we. That’s why partnerships like this are so critical. NCC will rally its vast network of partners across the country around our evidence-based approach to deliver impactful conservation solutions around some of Canada's most iconic natural places. Through partnership, expertise and perseverance, we will conserve critical habitat for the plants and animals we cherish, and ecosystem services that benefit all communities.” — Catherine Grenier, President and CEO, Nature Conservancy of Canada
“Canada’s 30 by 30 target is a model embraced by the international community. Now we are doubling down on implementation. Working together with communities and conservation partners is key to ensuring that the lands, waters and ice that play such important roles in the lives of Canadians are protected for current and future generations. Parks Canada and Nature Conservancy of Canada are supporting real actions that build resiliency across protected and conserved areas and take us one step further to reaching our goals of conserving 30 percent of land and inland water by 2030.” - The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada
Facts
- Through its protected heritage areas, Parks Canada currently manages close to 265,000 square kilometres of land that provide habitat for approximately half of the species at risk currently listed in Canada.
- NCC directly cares for more than 63,000 hectares of nature within 25 kilometres of 24 different national parks.
- NCC has contributed to the protection of over 1.4 million hectares of nature that are near, or have become part of, national parks, marine conservation reserves and marine protected areas.
- NCC uses technology-informed land management programs that help determine where conservation is most urgently needed. These digital tools use artificial intelligence software and prioritization algorithms that inform where conservation activities will have the greatest impact.
- NCC currently protects habitat for 250 species at risk in Canada.
About
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is the country’s unifying force for nature. NCC seeks solutions to the twin crises of rapid biodiversity loss and climate change through large-scale, permanent land conservation. As a trusted partner, NCC works with individuals, Indigenous Nations and communities, businesses and governments to protect and care for our country’s natural areas. Since 1962, NCC has brought Canadians together to conserve and restore more than 15 million hectares. To learn more, visit natureconservancy.ca.
The Landscape Resiliency Program is a collaboration between Parks Canada (PC) and the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) that will conserve 30,000 hectares of forests, wetlands, shoreline areas and grasslands near Canada’s iconic National Parks. A total of $30 million will be invested through 2026 to strengthen landscape resiliency in these areas and create connected pathways for the movement and dispersal of wildlife. The conservation of these areas will help reverse biodiversity loss and mitigate the impacts of climate change. PC and NCC share a common goal of protecting the ecological integrity of these lands and waters for today and for the future by working with local landowners, partners, Indigenous Nations and communities.
Learn more
Visit natureconservancy.ca
Twitter: @NCC_CNC & @NCC_CNCMedia
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Media Contacts
Sarah Hoida
National Media Relations Manager
Nature Conservancy of Canada
Sarah.Hoida@natureconservancy.ca
C: (514) 968-6767
Andrew Holland
National Media Relations Director
Nature Conservancy of Canada
andrew.holland@natureconservancy.ca
C: (506) 260-0469
