WASHINGTON (June 26, 224) – Earlier this week, a brand new settlement between the Authorities of Canada, the Provincial Authorities of British Columbia, and 17 First Nations created the Great Bear Sea Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) initiative. The Nice Bear Sea settlement brings C$335 million in new investments from governments and the philanthropic sector, which is able to leverage further private-sector {dollars}. It builds on the C$800 million pledge made by Canada through the 2022 UN Biodiversity Convention (COP15) to assist Indigenous-led initiatives and set up main new protected areas. As Canada prepares to affix different world leaders for the subsequent UN Biodiversity Convention in Colombia this October (COP16), this newest motion showcases its robust conservation management and dedication to guard 30 p.c of its lands and waters by 2030.
“Audubon applauds this initiative, which demonstrates the management of Indigenous governments and federal and provincial governments shifting ahead collectively to realize the conservation targets needed to deal with the worldwide biodiversity and local weather crises,” stated Jeff Wells, Audubon’s VP of Boreal Conservation. “Defending this globally distinctive space teeming with seabirds, marine mammals, and different aquatic species, in addition to corals and kelp forests, is a global precedence.”
Positioned off the west coast of Canada, the Nice Bear Sea encompasses a number of the most ecologically productive cold-water marine areas on the planet. The initiative is predicted so as to add 14,000 sq. kilometers of recent marine protected areas (MPAs) to the 16,000 sq. kilometers of present protected areas within the Nice Bear Sea. Particular designations and administration plans for every MPA shall be developed in session with First Nations, business stakeholders, and the general public.
“Canada is such an awesome instance of main on Indigenous-led marine conservation,” stated Bethany Kraft, Audubon’s Senior Director of Coastal and Marine Resilience. “The Nice Bear Sea is likely one of the richest marine ecosystems on the planet—dwelling to seabirds, whales, sea otters, salmon, and way more. Defending it is a crucial milestone within the world effort to reverse biodiversity loss.”
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The Nationwide Audubon Society protects birds and the locations they want, at the moment and tomorrow. Audubon works all through the Americas utilizing science, advocacy, schooling, and on-the-ground conservation. State applications, nature facilities, chapters, and companions give Audubon an unparalleled wingspan that reaches tens of millions of individuals every year to tell, encourage, and unite various communities in conservation motion. A nonprofit conservation group since 1905, Audubon believes in a world through which individuals and wildlife thrive.
Media Contact: Rebecca Sentner, rebecca.sentner@audubon.org