The Canadian Biodiversity Strategy has been prepared in response to Canada's obligations as a party to the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...
Convention on Biological Diversity
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is a multilateral treaty. The Convention has three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity (or biodiversity); the sustainable use of it ...
. The Strategy has been developed as a guide to the implementation of the Biodiversity Convention in Canada.
Recognition of the worldwide impact of the decline of biodiversity inspired the global community to negotiate the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...
Convention on Biological Diversity
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is a multilateral treaty. The Convention has three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity (or biodiversity); the sustainable use of it ...
. The Canadian delegation participated in the negotiations, the Prime Minister signed the Convention at the
Earth Summit
The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the Rio Conference or the Earth Summit (Portuguese: ECO92), was a major United Nations conference held in Rio de Janeiro from June 3 to June 14, 1992.
Earth ...
in June 1992 and, in December 1992, Canada ratified it. Prior ratifying parties included Mauritius, Maldives, and Monaco.
One of the key obligations for parties that have ratified the Convention is to prepare a national strategy.
Elements of the Strategy
The Strategy contains guiding principles supporting a vision of society that lives sustainably, and contains a framework for action to support sustainable development as part of international efforts to implement the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Strategy goals are related to conservation, education, support, and collaboration.
In 2015, Canada adopted 19 targets to fulfill its obligations under the treaty. The first was to conserve at least 17% of terrestrial area and inland water, and 10% of coastal and marine areas, through "networks of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures." By the end of 2019, Canada was not on track to meeting its first target, having only conserved 12.1% of its terrestrial area (land and freshwater).
Criticism of the Strategy
Although biodiversity exists at many levels, from genetics to communities to ecosystems, and varies depending on type and organization, most conservation plans - the Canadian Biodiversity Strategy included - tend to focus on tangible, easily measured, visible aspects of biodiversity: species.
Celebrating Biodiversity: Adaptive Planning and Biodiversity Conservation
See also
*Biodiversity
Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic ('' genetic variability''), species ('' species diversity''), and ecosystem ('' ecosystem diversity' ...
*Convention on Biological Diversity
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is a multilateral treaty. The Convention has three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity (or biodiversity); the sustainable use of it ...
* Canada's Biodiversity Convention Office
*Canadian Biodiversity Information Network
The Canadian Biodiversity Information Network (CBIN) was developed in 1996 to deliver information on the Canadian Biodiversity Strategy and to serve as Canada's national node to the global Clearing House Mechanism. CBIN facilitates biodiversity- ...
*Biodiversity Outcomes Framework Canada's Biodiversity Outcomes Framework was approved by Ministers responsible for Environment, Forests, Parks, Fisheries and Aquaculture, and Wildlife in October 2006. It has been developed further to the Canadian Biodiversity Strategy, an implem ...
* Criticisms of the biodiversity paradigm
References
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External links
Convention on Biological DiversityBiodiversity Convention OfficeEnvironment Canada
Environment of Canada
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Convention on Biological Diversity