Biodiversity Conservation planning

WCS Canada and West Coast Environmental Law Comment on CWS Draft Offsetting Policy for Biodiversity

Ray, J. & Johnston, A.


Abstract

We focus here on four key themes we have identified as priorities for helping ensure that Canada meets its environmental obligations, particularly those arising under the Convention on Biological Diversity. Our overarching concerns are:

1) the lack of sufficient emphasis on the mitigation hierarchy as a necessary frame for addressing biodiversity impacts at the project level (p. 1),

2) the lack of consistence and clarity regarding the proposed offsetting policy goal (p. 4),

3) the unrealistic expectation that cumulative effects can be managed or mitigated through this policy (p. 6), and

4) the manner in which the role of Indigenous peoples are discussed (p. 6).

Herein, we discuss each of these themes in turn, and provide 16 recommendations for improvements to this policy.

Recommended citation

Ray, J. & Johnston, A. (2023). WCS Canada and West Coast Environmental Law Comment on CWS Draft Offsetting Policy for Biodiversity. WCS Canada. https://library.wcs.org/DesktopModules/Bring2mind/DMX/API/Entries/Download?EntryId=45404&PortalId=96

Justina Ray
Justina Ray
President & Senior Scientist
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