After 9 years working at The Conservancy it feels like things have come full circle. I started here going door-to-door as an Engagement Organizer with Aiesha Aggarwal, our now Conservation Analyst. We were asking the community to support the 17% Pledge.
The 17% Pledge supported including land trust nature reserves in the national count of protected land and inland waters in Canada. 17% was the minimum protection needed as outlined in the Aichi targets set out by the United Nations (UN) in 2011. Prior to 2020 the prime conservation land held by land trusts was not counted toward government targets. Since then I have grown, The Conservancy has grown and, under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, UN targets have grown to demand 30% protection of our planet.
This is why Canada adopted the 30 by 30 goal to protect 30% of our land and marine areas by 2030. This is how Canada has committed to do our part in response to the twin global crisis of climate change and biodiversity loss. The one thing that hasn’t changed is The Conservancy’s desire to have our high-quality conservation lands recognised as a part of this goal.
And, it’s happening. Starting in 2020 with the help of dedicated volunteer Pam Fulford, our first round of nature reserves was added to the Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), a geodatabase that contains the nations most up-to-date data available on marine and terrestrial protected areas and tracks our progress toward 30% of Canada being conserved. This first submission counted 2,946 acres of Conservancy land toward the national total.
Aiesha and I have just completed our second submission of 638.69 acres to be added, representing the lands we have conserved since 2020.
Through the CPCAD while we further Canada’s commitments under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity we also contribute to a conservation database that supports national research into Species at Risk, critical habitats and strategic conservation planning that can be used by governments, organizations and academics across the nation. This is how we contribute to not only local conservation but national and global conservation.
With Couchiching Conservancy nature reserves meeting the CPCAD eligibility criteria we are in the good company of provincial parks, national parks, global biosphere reserves and more. This enrollment and recognition help us ensure to you that the quality and health of our nature reserves can be counted among the best in Canada, our work is critical beyond our local borders and when this charity says these lands will be protected forever, we mean it. It takes hard work, planning and a lot of support to reach this level in your game.
Meeting the global climate and biodiversity crisis is a challenge that will take all of us. All levels of government, all conservation organizations and the support of the people of Canada. The Conservancy is proud to be making progress toward the 30 by 30 right here at home thanks to your support.
Courtney Baker is the Landowner Outreach and Acquisition Specialist at The Couchiching Conservancy.
Courtney Baker, Landowner Outreach and Acquisition Specialist and Aiesha Aggarwal, Conservation Analyst.