WWF-Canada applauds Canada’s commitment to Leader’s Pledge for Nature and High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People

WWF
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We have some great news as we approach the UN Summit on Biodiversity. WWF-Canada would like to thank Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Jonathan Wilkinson for the leadership and ambition they showed today in the fight against biodiversity loss by signing on to WWF’s Leaders’ Pledge for Nature and the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People.

Speaking live at WWF’s Leaders’ Pledge event on the morning of Sept. 28, the Prime Minister joined more than 65 world leaders in committing to better protect our planet by safeguarding species and habitats. We especially welcome Trudeau’s commitment to Indigenous-led conservation and his acknowledgement of Canada’s global responsibility as not only the world’s second-largest country but also as steward of the second-most remaining areas of intact nature.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaking at WWF Leader's Pledge for Nature event
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaking at WWF’s Leaders’ Pledge for Nature virtual event

“The way we’re going to do that is the way we’ve worked on it so far,” the Prime Minister said, “which is working with Indigenous peoples who need to be partners in protecting the land, who understand how important it is to be good stewards of this land and these waters that sustain us.”

We also applaud Minister Wilkinson’s announcement this morning of Canada’s support for the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, which will raise the government’s already announced intention to protect 25 per cent of Canada’s lands and waters by 2025 to now reach 30 per cent protected areas by 2030. Making this especially impressive is the fact that Canada is the only one of the world’s ten largest countries to make this commitment.

“Canada is uniquely positioned to contribute to this important goal both at home and abroad, we have both the opportunity and the responsibility,” Minister Wilkinson said. “We have the second-largest land mass, a fifth of the world’s freshwater and the longest coastline in the world, that together are critical for biodiversity and securing carbon in nature in the fight against climate change.”

As the PM said, reversing the planet’s biodiversity crisis requires all countries to work in concert, and we applaud every world leader who has signed onto these coalitions and encourage all others to join this movement to safeguard our future.