Eleanor Fast
Executive Director

Nature Canada is proud to be a Canadian co-partner of BirdLife International – the global partnership of organizations working for birds and nature.  Last week I took part in a meeting of partners across the Americas – from Chile to Canada and everywhere in between.

We had an intensive week of meetings and got down into details of how we can work most effectively together across the Americas to ensure that species are protected throughout their ranges.  Working with organizations in other countries is essential for Nature Canada’s work as many of the species we work so hard to conserve in Canada spend much of their time out of the country, for example:

• Nature Canada has worked hard to learn more about why Purple Martin populations are declining. Thanks to the work of Nature Canada and our partners we now know more about their migration and can work with partner organizations throughout their range to protect them.
• Nature Canada is a lead organization in the Canada Warbler International Conservation Initiative which involves partners across the Americas.  The Canada Warbler’s breeding grounds are primarily in Canada, but it’s wintering range is in South America, from Peru to Venezuela – we all need to work together to protect the Canada Warbler.
• And it’s not just species that BirdLife partners work together to protect. Nature Canada is working closely with North American Birdlife partners, ranchers, governments, and other environmental groups to develop a North American grasslands initiative to protect this crucial habitat in Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

True to our name, Nature Canada focusses on being a voice for nature in Canada.  But our wildlife doesn’t stay in Canada year round.  That’s why it is essential that we work with other organizations throughout the Americas to protect birds throughout their lives.

Apart from the serious discussions, the meeting had a lighthearted highlight – the closing ceremony where a school group from Panama performed a dance dressed as birds, it was wonderful to see the children’s smiles and excitement.  I thought of Nature Canada’s own work with schoolchildren, making masks and going on a migration parade.  Enthusiasm for learning about and protecting nature truly knows no boundaries – just like so many birds!

A photo of the Panama school group performance.

A second photo of the Panama school group performance.

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