Canada has a limited timeframe of four years to meet its ambitious target of safeguarding 30 percent of its lands and oceans by 2030, which is currently double the existing protected areas. To accelerate progress, Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled a new nature strategy on Tuesday that heavily relies on two unconventional approaches: encouraging businesses and investors to contribute private funds to conservation efforts, and officially acknowledging “other effective area-based conservation measures” (OECM) established by local communities and private organizations.
While these novel approaches have the potential to enhance conservation efforts in Canada and alleviate the sole responsibility on the government, experts caution that if not implemented correctly, OECMs may merely exist on paper without offering the necessary protection for ecosystems to flourish. OECMs are utilized predominantly by smaller municipal governments or Indigenous communities to gain recognition for projects that do not neatly fit into traditional conservation categories like provincial parks or nature reserves. These projects, such as safeguarding water sources for cities or preserving hunting and fishing territories for Indigenous groups, may not primarily aim for nature conservation but inadvertently achieve conservation outcomes.
The new nature strategy mandates the protection of at least eight percent of lands under OECMs, marking the first time these areas are officially counted toward Canada’s conservation targets. Megan Lafferty, from the Nature Conservancy of Canada, emphasizes that OECMs should not serve as a substitute for establishing parks but should align with the landscape’s specific needs. Despite the potential benefits, critics raise concerns that OECMs, particularly in British Columbia, permit industrial activities like logging, potentially undermining the conservation goals.
Additionally, Carney announced the formation of a task force on natural capital accounting and nature financing to recognize the economic value of nature and attract private investments into conservation. While specific details are scarce, past models leveraging philanthropic funding for conservation, like protecting parts of the Great Bear Sea in B.C., could serve as valuable references. However, with the 2030 deadline looming, there is apprehension regarding the government’s strategy to secure private funding for conservation initiatives.
Critics like Lucero González express apprehension over the emphasis on private funding, suggesting that it shifts nature protection away from affected communities and places it in the hands of industries benefiting from extractive activities. González urges the government to prioritize combating the biodiversity crisis and species extinction rather than merely achieving numerical conservation targets.