FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Unceded Algonquin Territory, Ottawa, ON – June 21, 2022

Nature Canada welcomes news that the long-delayed UN biodiversity summit will be held in Montreal this December.

The COP15 meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity constitutes a critical moment for countries to agree on a post-2020 global framework to halt nature and biodiversity loss. Canada has played a leading role in the international negotiations to date and has shown leadership at home through its commitment to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030 and expand protected areas to 25 percent of Canada’s land, freshwater and ocean by 2025 and 30 percent by 2030. 

The summit was repeatedly delayed by China due to COVID restrictions, even as other international environmental meetings took place in other countries.

We recognize that rolling out an event of this size and complexity in a matter of months is a major organizational challenge, and we welcome the Government of Canada’s willingness to take it on.

With the event being held in Canada, international attention will also be shone on Canada’s own commitment – and emerging action plan – to halt and reverse nature loss domestically by 2030, expand protected areas, advance nature-based climate solutions and forest conservation, and promote Indigenous-led conservation.

Nature Canada is Canada’s voice for nature. For 80 years, Nature Canada has helped protect over 110 million acres of parks and wildlife areas in Canada and countless species. Today, Nature Canada represents a network of over 130,000 members and supporters and more than 1,000 nature organizations.

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For more information contact: 

Scott Mullenix 

media@naturecanada.ca