Did you come out and see our Naturebus last year?

In this year of bad news, it’s nice to be able to celebrate a hopeful milestone—while acknowledging that hope is just a fuse that needs the spark of action. We still have lots to do before we can truly celebrate this milestone.

Have you let Prime Minister Trudeau and his government know how important nature is to you? Send a letter today!

Last December, at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (“COP15”), delegates signed the Kunming-Montreal Agreement. Under this agreement, governments committed to conserving at least 30 percent of land and ocean by 2030 and respecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples—including, in particular,  recognizing the contributions of Indigenous territories towards the “30×30” goal. Canada’s Minister of the Environment Steven Guilbeault promised to deliver a national biodiversity strategy and action (NBSAP) to meet these goals.

It was a big step in the right direction. And it only happened because ordinary people came together to make their voices heard.

“It was a shouting-from-the-rooftops moment.”
   — Hannah Dean, Director of Organizing at Nature Canada

The challenge

Nature lovers knew that a lot was at stake in Montreal. The clock was ticking on our biodiversity commitments: the government had pledged to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030—just eight years away (seven, now). COP15 was a critical opportunity for Canadians to show their leaders that we needed real action on this promise. In the words of Hannah Dean, Director of Organizing at Nature Canada, it was a “shouting-from-the-rooftops moment.” And we knew that a lot of Canadians would want to shout along with Nature Canada. How could we capture all that resolve and bring it to decision-makers at COP15?

That’s when we came up with the idea for a kind of travelling roadshow… one with lots of colour and community.

Our plan was for three “NatureBuses” to travel across the country, collecting artwork and messages of hope from ordinary Canadians on the theme of protecting nature. Our network of local groups, the Nature Network, would organize inspiring bus-stop events across the country—everything from art workshops to polar bear swims to shoreline cleanups.

NatureBus activities from November-December 2022: shoreline clean-up, letter-writing, polar bear swim

At the end, the buses would converge on Montreal and deliver all the messages of hope to Prime Minister Trudeau, just as NatureCOP was getting underway.

And, thanks to our partners and participants, the NatureBus tour did indeed deliver. Thousands of messages in support of nature were presented to Prime Minister Trudeau who, in his opening address to the conference delegates, quoted from two of them.

The impact

Our voices were heard and the world got a badly needed deal at COP15.

Not only did the The  Kunming-Montreal agreement embody a new Global Biodiversity Framework, to replace the last (failed) one, but it also included tangible measures to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030.  And the promised national biodiversity strategy and action plan (NBSAP), announced by Environment Minister, Steven Guilbeault, would make those measures stick.

But for that to happen, the government would also have to stick… to its guns.

That’s why, since last December, Nature Canada hasn’t missed an opportunity to press the government on its COP15 commitments and deliver a National Biodiversity Strategy.

You’ve got mail, Mr. Prime Minister! Thousands of messages in support of nature were delivered to Justin Trudeau.

Keeping up the Pressure

Since COP15, Nature Canada has been working to keep the National Biodiversity Strategy at the forefront at such events as the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) in Vancouver and at our flagship annual gathering, Nature on the Hill, which brought together nature groups in March 2023 to talk with parliamentarians. And we mobilized thousands of nature-lovers during public consultations and throughout the year to send a clear message:

Canada needs a National Biodiversity Strategy to protect and restore nature. And we need it now!

In May of 2023, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) opened the public consultation phase for NBSAP with a survey to collect Canadians’ views and perspectives. Nature Canada mobilized our partner groups (over 1,200 member organizations in our Nature Network) and supporters (everyday Canadians across the country) to ensure that the voices that cared most about wildlife were heard. We also spearheaded a joint submission to the government from National ENGOs which echoed these key recommendations for the National Biodiversity Strategy:

1. Prioritize biodiversity and nature health in governmental decision-making.
2. Respect and acknowledge Indigenous Peoples’ rights, knowledge, and leadership in nature protection.
3. Take decisive action to recover endangered species and restore ecosystems, aiming for 30% protection of land and oceans by 2030.
4. Eliminate subsidies that harm nature from resource-based and extractive industries.
5. Expand inclusive and accessible education on biodiversity, combining scientific and traditional ecological knowledge.
6. Establish robust accountability measures, including a biodiversity accountability law, to ensure commitment fulfillment.
7. Foster collaboration and partnerships across government levels and sectors to effectively address and reverse nature loss.

The government has heard from us; now it’s time they hear from you. Let Prime Minister Trudeau and his government know that Canada’s National Biodiversity Strategy is important to you!

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