Protecting wilderness, waters and oceans

Few places in the world can still boast the kinds of wild spaces – and wild species – that can be found from coast to coast to coast in Canada. But in the face of rapidly accelerating climate change and other threats, Canada needs to move fast to secure this natural legacy by permanently protecting a minimum of 50% of our remaining wild areas. These forests and wild lands have been called "the Fort Knox of carbon storage" thanks to their vast carbon reserves and they must be protected through a strong system of national parks and other protected areas to prevent any further acceleration of global warming and to reduce the threat to species and ecosystems posed by climate change.

Canada's oceans are important for carbon storage as well as for protecting biodiversity. More and larger marine protected areas are needed to protect spawning grounds, coral reefs and other sensitive marine areas. The federal government needs to rapidly expand the tiny ripples of its current ocean protection efforts into a tidal wave of action.

• Demonstrate a national commitment to protecting Canada's tremendous natural legacy -- and huge carbon reservoirs -- by requiring that conservation planning, including designation of large protected areas networks, precede any industrial development in still wild northern areas, including the Mackenzie Valley.
• Build a buffer for species against climate change and fulfill a long-standing promise to Canadians by completing the national parks system by 2010. Do the same for the marine protected areas system in our three oceans and the Great Lakes by 2012.
• Pick up the pace on working to restore endangered species to health by ensuring that all species listed before 2008 have effective recovery plans in place in 2009.Recognize that the sensitive B.C. coast together with its climate-stressed ocean areas is no place for offshore oil and gas development or for oil and liquified natural gas (LNG) tanker traffic by continuing to keep the area off limits to these activities.
• Put a price on carbon stored in intact ecosystems. This will provide an effective incentive for both biodiversity conservation and climate protection.

 

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