By Patrick Lafrance
It’s been nearly two years since the global environment community celebrated the delivery of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, a document to help guide the world to the preservation of nature. The Framework, which outlined four goals and 23 targets to lay out the work ahead clearly and concisely: what needs to change, who needs to be involved, and the types of actions that must be taken. The targets provided short-term targets to be accomplished by 2030, with the goals focused on long-term accomplishments for 2050.
Both the goals and the targets laid a clear roadmap to follow, both for those already taking action and those needing to get started in their biodiversity journey. Governments, institutions and corporations needed to show leadership, thereafter, putting the policies and plans in place to meet the targets for the next decade.
As we await the next Conference of the Parties on Biodiversity, COP16, which will be held October 21 to November 1 in Cali, Columbia, we reflect on the progress made in Canada towards both the short-term targets and long-term goals, and discuss the expectations for the upcoming global gathering.
Canada’s commitments to nature
Since the Montreal conference, the Government of Canada has been active both nationally and internationally in supporting actions towards protecting nature.
The most significant action has been the development of the 2030 Nature Strategy and Nature Accountability Bill. According to the federal government, the Strategy addresses each of the 23 targets contained within the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
“Halting and reversing biodiversity loss is one of the great challenges of our time, but if we get it right, the transition to a nature-positive Canada will have profoundly positive impacts on our collective well-being, economic prosperity, and quality of life now and into the future.”
The Nature Accountability Bill (Bill C-73: An Act respecting transparency and accountability in relation to certain commitments Canada has made under the Convention on Biological Diversity) is only the second of its kind in the world. The Bill would “… provide concrete steps […], including requirements to develop national biodiversity strategies and action plans—like the 2030 Nature Strategy—and to report on their implementation. Reporting requirements would allow for an assessment of implementation progress and, where necessary, provide information on course corrections to stay on track with commitments.”
While not yet passed into law (the Bill received first reading on June 13th of this year), the legislation represents one of the most significant acts of any government since COP15, putting into law actions related to the protection of biodiversity. However, it is noted that “… provincial and territorial leadership and ambition will be essential, complemented by actions by all other segments of society.”
For the business community, an extension of the Conservation Exchange Pilot was announced in June. The Exchange, which “… is applying and testing a science-based, standardized measure to determine the biodiversity benefits of conservation projects,” has been a successful program for demonstrating different types of conservation solutions that can be introduced at the property scale.
In addition to its attempt to introduce local initiatives to protect and restore biodiversity, the federal government has also supported work happening worldwide. In May, a commitment of $15 million was provided to the Conserva Aves initiative, supporting biodiversity and ecosystem health in Central and South America. Previously, in December of 2022, Canadian leadership helped form the Sustainable Critical Minerals Alliance, an organization also supported by the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, Japan, Germany, France, and Australia, which is working to push for the global uptake of an environmentally and socially responsible critical mineral supply chain.
The combined efforts at local, national and international levels have demonstrated Canada’s ongoing commitment to protecting and restoring its biodiversity.
Expectations for COP16
Colombia’s third most-populated city at over 2.2 million residents, Cali is the largest city in the country’s southwest and is located near the coast of the Pacific Ocean. The city was chosen to host COP16 over several others in the country, following confirmation from the United Nations in December that the conference would take place in Colombia.
The conference theme, Peace with Nature, along with the use of the inirida flower (only found in Colombia) are meant to combine to deliver three important messages:
- The Biodiversity Plan constitutes an indivisible whole.
- It is time to make peace with nature for the sake of planet and people.
- Biodiversity is a bulwark against the triple environmental crisis afflicting our world.
The primary focus for this year’s conference will be the implementation of a new 10-year Global Biodiversity Framework, one that builds off of the Kunming-Montreal document. This will include setting targets beyond what’s already expected for 2030, creating a series of new benchmarks for countries to strive towards.
For Canada, it will be important to understand how much these new targets will conflict with the actions they have already taken, such as the Nature Accountability Bill. If significant changes to legislation is needed to meet the demands of a new 10-year Global plan, this could be difficult to pursue given the limited time before the next federal election.
It will be important for Canada to continue to support international initiatives, but also to recognize the support needed within this country. As the government, institutional, and business communities look to develop nature-positive approaches to their practices, the federal government will need to ensure that programs are in place to continuously support this important transition.
Patrick Lafrance is the national vice president of Ecology and Environmental Impact Assessment for WSP in Canada.
Featured image credit: Getty Images
