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💵 Government of Canada invests to protect species at risk in the Greater Montréal area

Saturday, 10 June 2023 06:47.PM

The world is facing an unprecedented biodiversity crisis. Canada is no exception. Species essential to the health and well-being of Canadians and to the economy are declining. It is essential to protect them as well as their habitats. Collaboration with the provinces, territories, Indigenous peoples and other partners is the key to reversing the situation and restoring Canada's biodiversity.

Today, to conclude Environment Week, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, accompanied by Yves Robillard, Member of Parliament for Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, announced $400,000 in funding for a four-year project led by Éco-Nature in the Greater Montréal area. This project aims to protect and restore the habitats needed by a dozen species at risk, including the Snapping Turtle, Least Bittern and American Water-willow.

The project, which also aims to mitigate the threats affecting species and their habitats, will take place on diversified, interconnected sites close to the Parc de la Rivière-des-Mille-Îles. It also includes awareness-raising activities aimed at encouraging the adoption of practices that benefit habitats and species.

The Government of Canada is firmly committed to taking concrete action to protect biodiversity and contribute to the global goals set at COP15. By adopting the Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework, our country is striving to preserve nature on a global scale, halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, and put natural environments on the road to recovery by 2050.

This Canadian Environment Week is a reminder to make a collective effort to reduce plastic waste and beat plastic pollution. The Government of Canada is making significant contributions to achieve a zero plastic waste future, including taking action across the lifecycle of plastics to prevent plastic pollution and improve how plastics are managed at end-of-life. Canada will bring the world together for the 4th Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution, in Ottawa in April 2024.

It is also an important time to recognize the significant contributions of Indigenous Peoples as crucial collaborators in fighting pollution, preserving biodiversity and tackling the climate crisis as the Government of Canada celebrates Indigenous History Month.

"The Government of Canada is committed to halting and reversing the loss of nature by 2030, and to achieving full recovery for nature by 2050. This is why we support initiatives to protect species at risk across the country. Nature plays an essential role in our lives, and the Éco-Nature project will help protect and restore urban habitats. The benefits will be significant not only for the flora and fauna, but also for the community."
– The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Quick facts

• Funding for this project comes from the Canada Nature Fund's Priority Places for Species at Risk program. This program supports multi-partner initiatives in priority places where there are opportunities to protect and recover species at risk and their habitats through multi-species and ecosystem-based conservation measures.
• This investment is in addition to the $218,000 granted to Éco-Nature between 2019 and 2022 for the first phase of this project.
• The Parc de la Rivière-des-Mille-Îles is the largest protected wildlife area project in the Greater Montréal area. It is home to two-thirds of Quebec's vertebrate fauna, and 86 species at risk have been observed there.

SOURCE: Environment and Climate Change Canada

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