Time to get protected areas back on track in Canada

WWF Canada

Auditor General’s reports show need for leadership to meet our commitments for nature

Ottawa, Nov. 6, 2025 – Today’s Auditor General reports found that Canada is not on track to protect 25 per cent of land, inland water and marine ecosystems by 2025, or 30 per cent by 2030. WWF-Canada is concerned by this lack of progress but sees an opportunity for the government to build from its experience and recommit to these goals with accelerated action and investment.

Protected areas are essential for wildlife and healthy ecosystems, which provide benefits such as clean air and water, and help mitigate the impacts of climate change. They are also a key part of Canada’s path to reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, including through Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs).

Failure to meet protected-area targets undermines efforts to conserve nature and weakens our climate resilience. It also damages Canada’s credibility on the international stage as a leading signatory of the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), which set the 2030 target.

“These reports are clear evidence that Canada is struggling to meet its domestic and international commitments on nature.  We know protected and conserved areas are a cornerstone of our efforts to stop biodiversity loss and build climate resilience. There is great urgency for Canada to recommit and invest further in the protection of our lands and waters, ” James Snider, Vice-President of Science, Knowledge and Innovation at WWF-Canada, said.

To meet Canada’s “30X30” commitment, WWF-Canada echoes the commissioner’s call for the federal government to work cooperatively with rightsholders, stakeholders, provincial, municipal and Indigenous governments to refocus efforts on reaching protected area targets. WWF-Canada urges the government to:

  • Approve the recommended Nunavut Land Use Plan, which would contribute 4.5 per cent toward Canada’s 2030 target — the single largest opportunity for progress — and is critical for guiding development in the Arctic.
  • Renew investment in programs like the Enhanced Nature Legacy fund to continue protecting and restoring nature with benefits for biodiversity and climate change mitigation.
  • Fund marine and terrestrial protections beyond 2026 to ensure progress towards 2030 targets and to safeguard existing and future Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Currently, the $842.8 million set aside in 2021 to support conservation will run out as of March 2026.
  • Continue supporting and prioritizing Indigenous governments and organizations to implement cooperative management of protected terrestrial and marine areas, aligning with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UNDRIP)
  • Work to ensure elements like ecological integrity, connectivity, and ecological representation are central when establishing protected and conserved areas. Resources like WWF-Canada’s recent scientific publication can be drawn on to advance these qualitative aspects of protected areas that are defined in the KMGBF.
  • Apply the MPA minimum protection standard more broadly, especially for “marine refuges,” which currently account for about one-third of Canada’s protected areas.
  • Work with federal government departments that lack explicit conservation roles (e.g., Transport Canada) to ensure protections are keeping ecosystems safe from the biggest threats, such as those posed by marine shipping and development.

 

About World Wildlife Fund Canada

WWF-Canada is committed to equitable and effective conservation actions that restore nature, reverse wildlife loss and fight climate change. We draw on scientific analysis and Indigenous guidance to ensure all our efforts connect to a single goal: a future where wildlife, nature and people thrive. For more information visit wwf.ca.

For further information please contact: [email protected]