Nature Canada today released a new report that serves as a call to action for nature groups and concerned citizens across the country who care about wildlife, natural spaces and Indigenous rights.

Defend Nature, End the Extinction: Time to Double Canada’s Protected Areas raises the alarm on the extinction crisis and reinforces the need for the federal government to double Canada’s protected areas.

In 2019, a new UN report concluded that one million species are at risk of extinction around the world. In Canada, over 600 species are listed as at-risk from extinction. The number one cause of population declines in vulnerable species is habitat loss.

Canada has made a commitment to protect vast tracts of wilderness from disruptive human activity by the end of 2020. Fulfilling that pledge would help give threatened species a chance to avoid extinction. It would create connectivity for migratory species and ensure safe havens for plants and animals to adjust to climate change. Supporting Indigenous-led conservation must be central to these efforts.

“The federal government has made progress, but there is a long way to go. Our leaders need to hear from us,” said Gauri Sreenivasan, Nature Canada’s campaigns director. “If a country like Canada can’t make room for nature, who can?”

Defend Nature, End the Extinction is a resource for organizations and individuals working on the doubling of protected areas in Canada. It provides evidence of the problem, case studies of solutions and successes from coast to coast, and positive actions that can make a difference.

Read the full report here. (You can download the french version here!)

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For more information, please contact: 

Andrew Aziz
Communications and Digital Director
[email protected] | 613-562-3447 ext. 236

Gauri Sreenivasan
Campaigns Director
[email protected] | 613-562-3447 ext. 248