Statement: Canada's Strategy to Protect Nature

Nature does a great deal of quiet work for humanity. It underpins human health, economic stability, food and water security, and increasingly, national security. In a context increasingly defined by fires and floods, and communities facing the immediate realities of ecological change, prioritizing nature early and with confidence is one of the most economically prudent and stabilizing choices governments can make. Yet over the past year, nature’s place amongst our national priorities has been tenuous.

Canada's Nature Strategy, announced today by the Prime Minister, takes the critical role of nature in our economy, our society, and our wellbeing, seriously. Its three pillars — protecting and connecting lands and waters, designing development that works with nature, and establishing the financial mechanisms to value nature — address major drivers of biodiversity loss, including habitat loss, harmful development, and the persistent undervaluation of nature in economic decisions. Inclusion of dedicated funding in the strategy is certainly key; this was not inevitable.

In a period of acute geopolitical and economic pressure, protecting biodiversity has too often entered decisions too late, been relegated to where it is convenient, or treated as something to set aside in the face of more “urgent” issues. Today's commitment signals a potentially new and welcome orientation from the federal government.

We are very encouraged by the positioning of Indigenous leadership as overarching — not as one component among many, but as the broader frame for all three pillars of this strategy. This reflects both the legal and governance realities of land stewardship in Canada and the demonstrated effectiveness of Indigenous-led conservation of lands and waters.

The ambition of this strategy will be tested by implementation and the test begins immediately. Today's announcement does not stand alone: the federal government is simultaneously advancing major investments in energy, infrastructure, and resource development, along with financing instruments that will shape what gets built and where. Coherence between those commitments and this strategy is not guaranteed. It will require genuine whole-of-government coordination — ecological risk considered early, before locking in high-impact decisions, and a serious effort to ensure that the left hand does not undermine the right. This, in turn, depends on shared, standardized information — such as accessible, decision-ready mapping — used consistently across departments to reduce uncertainty and align decisions. That cannot be achieved within a single department. Provinces, territories, and civil society all have essential roles that cannot be delegated.

This is an encouraging moment. When the value of nature is treated as a premise of national policy and brought in early enough to shape decisions, durable outcomes have their best chance. The opportunity now is to connect these efforts through shared information and coordinated approaches, turning ambition into effective, lasting outcomes.