WWF-Canada’s Top 10 Conservation Wins of 2022

Quathar Jacobs December 30, 2022

Another year in the books. The end of the year brings us to a natural point of reflection on what we’ve been able to accomplish in 2022 with your help.

From protection to restoration to working with partners all across the country, all of us at WWF-Canada are proud of what we’ve been able to contribute to help nature, climate and people.

Here are 10 of our conservation wins of 2022.

Pale purple coneflower seeds — Seeds of Pale Purple Coneflower hand-collected from a demonstration seed orchard in fall 2021. © Jesse Wyatt, compliments of SpruceLab Inc.

We harvested a LOT of seeds

This year we helped harvest 1 million seeds from 102 native plant species by supporting seed orchards that will make large-scale habitat restoration possible. Learn more about this incredible project.

We worked to stop dumping in MPAs

Did you know ships generate 147 billion litres of waste in Canadian waters annually? This year we released the first comprehensive national report on vessel dumping in Canada’s marine protected areas.

And more than 18,000 of you wrote the government to say “No” to dumping harmful ship waste following the report’s release.

A valley on Vancouver Island with water and trees — Kus-kus-sum project on Vancouver Island, BC © Caitlin Pierzchalski / Comox Valley Project Watershed Society

We worked with grantees to protect nature and carbon

This year we welcomed three new and three returning Nature and Climate Grant Program grantees. Together, they are restoring biodiversity and storing carbon across Canada.

Learn more about their amazing work here.

We restored vital fish habitat

We worked with more than 30 partners in Newfoundland and Labrador to support the restoration of critical coastal habitats for species such as capelin, Atlantic salmon and Arctic char.

Learn more about this important work here.

We helped Nepal’s tigers roar

It was a BIG year for the #YearOfTheTiger. With your support, we helped Nepal nearly triple its wild tiger population! Read more about this incredible win for conservation.

We combined conservation and tech

We announced the five finalists of our Nature x Carbon Tech Challenge. They’re now in the field testing their proposed technology that will measure carbon in nature. Learn more about the challenge and the finalists.

We restored salmon habitat in BC

Newly created channel in the Upper Pitt River watershed near Corbold creek © Joshua Ostroff / WWF-Canada

Restoration efforts of the Upper Pitt River habitat in preparation for this year’s peak sockeye run. Read more about the creation of brand-new habitat for this keystone species and what comes next.

We went beyond targets

With the launch of our Beyond Targets report, we featured five Indigenous-led conservation stories. Among them, the Saskatchewan River Delta (Kitaskīnaw) — the largest inland water delta in North America.

We worked to reforest the west coast

In partnership with Secwepemcúl’ecw Restoration and Stewardship Society (SRSS), we are helping to reforest Elephant Hill. And over the next three years, SRSS is going to plant the better part of a million trees!

We helped people and polar bears

From conflict to co-existence — community-led patrols are keeping people and polar bears safe. Read more about the effects of a changing climate on the people of Whale Cove and their amazing patrol program.

And we’re already gearing up for 2023 where, with your support, we plan to accomplish even more for nature, people and our planet.