(Ottawa) The Minister of the Environment, Steven Guilbeault, tabled a bill and unveiled a strategy Thursday to curb the decline of biodiversity. Canada thus intends to respect its obligations under the historic agreement reached at the 15th United Nations Conference on Biodiversity (COP15) which took place in Montreal a year and a half ago.
Bill C-73 on responsibility for nature provides for the development of a country-wide strategy and action plan to protect biodiversity. At the same time, Minister Guilbeault unveiled the 2030 Nature Strategy.
The bill also contains accountability mechanisms, such as the production of progress reports, to measure the progress of the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Independent experts will have to contribute to national strategies and reports. The minister will also have to take into account indigenous knowledge on biodiversity and respect the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Around one million species are already threatened with extinction, according to the United Nations. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework identifies 23 targets, including protecting “at least 30% of terrestrial areas, inland waters and coastal and marine areas” by 2030.
It also provides a fund for developing countries of $20 billion per year by 2025 and $30 billion by 2030.
Further details will follow.