Canada's biodiversity is a cornerstone of our way of life, and Canadians depend on nature for clean water to drink, air to breathe, food to eat, and quality spaces to enjoy the outdoors. Conserving nature is vital to fighting the triple crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.
Today, Julie Dabrusin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, on behalf of the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, visited the Long Point Walsingham Forest Priority Place, where she met with partners at the Long Point Biosphere Region and Birds Canada. The Government of Canada is investing more than $4.8 million from Canada's Enhanced Nature Legacy to support a variety of partners in improving biodiversity benefits in this significant area.
These investments include:
- $405,000 for the Long Point Biosphere Region to reduce threats to amphibians and reptiles and coordinate outreach initiatives for a variety of conservation partners in the Long Point Walsingham Forest Priority Place.
- $367,000 for Birds Canada to monitor targeted species at risk birds and collaborate with landowners to implement Beneficial Management Practices to maintain forest habitat.
- $2 million for several conservation partners, including the Nature Conservancy of Canada, to manage invasive species, such as the common reed (Phragmites australis), across the landscape in targeted species at risk habitats.
- $552,000 for the Long Point Basin Land Trust, and several conservation partners, to improve forests and treed swamps' habitats for species at risk.
- $150,000 for the University of Waterloo, to monitor plant species at risk in the Long Point area wetlands, particularly to assess recovery in areas where the common reed (Phragmites australis) has been managed.
- $400,000 for ALUS Norfolk, and several conservation partners, to collaborate with landowners to restore, improve, and protect habitat on agricultural land.
- $700,000 for the Nature Conservancy of Canada, and several conservation partners, to improve and restore Open Country habitat for grassland species at risk.
The Government of Canada continues to work with more than 14 key partners in this region as part of the Long Point Walsingham Forest Priority Place, including the Long Point Biosphere Region and Birds Canada.
As a large and biodiversity-rich country, Canada has a responsibility to the world to protect our natural heritage. Nature Legacy and Enhanced Nature Legacy represent the largest nature conservation campaigns in Canadian history, with over $5 billion in investments focused on the goal of conserving 30 percent of land and water by 2030, in partnership with Indigenous peoples.
More progress is needed to stop biodiversity loss and the degradation of sensitive ecosystems-the future depends on everyone working together to act now.
