We work as the Manitoba chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, sharing a charity number with all chapters across Canada: #10686 5272 RR0001. 

Terrestrial Parks and Protected Areas Program:

• To establish new and expanded terrestrial protected areas while protecting nature in our existing parks.
• To protect wilderness ecosystems across Canada.
• To educate Canadians about the importance of terrestrial conservation. 

Ocean Marine Protected Areas Program:

• To establish new and expanded marine protected areas while protecting nature in existing marine protected areas.
• To protect natural marine ecosystems in Canada's oceans.
• To educate Canadians about the importance of marine conservation.

Forests, Climate, and Species at Risk Program:

• To protect Canada's forests through scientific and regional knowledge informed conservation planning.
• To preserve the full diversity of habitats for Canadian wildlife species.
• To encourage and educate Canadians to support nature-based solutions to climate change.

CPAWS Manitoba works on the ancestral lands and water of Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous Peoples have stewarded their territories for thousands of generations, and continue to do so today. However, colonization, genocide and oppression intentionally severed Indigenous peoples’ relationships with the land and ocean. 

CPAWS Manitoba recognizes the connection between colonization and the continued oppression and repression of Indigenous, black and racialized people, and other marginalized groups. 

All people have the right to a healthy environment. Human health, culture, safety and well-being is intertwined with the natural world from the forest-cleaned air we breathe, nutrient-rich soil for food we eat, and fresh water we drink, clean and practice ceremony.

However, oppressed and racialized communities are disproportionately affected by changes to the environment, and they have been systematically and intentionally excluded from, or faced significant barriers to, resources and decision-making processes.

Conservation efforts in some cases have perpetuated systemic oppression and erasure by forcibly removing people from their land. As a conservation organization, we have a responsibility to decolonize our work and to ensure that we are supporting Indigenous leadership to identify, create, and manage protected areas and ecosystems.

We, the staff and Board at CPAWS Manitoba, recognize that upholding the values of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion of oppressed and repressed voices and perspectives is an ongoing process that requires us all to be actively involved and responsible.

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At CPAWS Manitoba, we believe that effective conservation starts with science and local knowledge. This guides our efforts in protecting species, restoring ecosystems, and advocating for policies that benefit the environment. We rely on accurate data and scientific research as well as Indigenous Traditional Knowledge to develop our campaigns and education programs. 

Science and Indigenous Knowledge also guide our conservation policies, influencing decision-makers to adopt sustainable, effective practices that protect biodiversity and ecosystems.

As we face growing environmental challenges, our commitment to science and local knowledge remains strong. We believe that with evidence and collaboration, we can create lasting solutions for the planet’s future.

The CPAWS-MB office is located in Winnipeg, on Treaty One Territory, and the homeland of the Red River Métis. We work throughout the original lands of Anishinaabeg, Ininewuk, Anisininew, Dakota, and Dene Peoples. CPAWS-MB acknowledges that our water is sourced from Shoal Lake 40 First Nation.

Since its founding in 1963, CPAWS has become a leader in conservation in Canada, and has played a key role in protecting nature across the country. Our 60 years of success is thanks to the people behind the organization, who bring their expertise, public education and advocacy experience, relationships, and local knowledge to the job.

We are experiencing unprecedented impacts of biodiversity loss and climate change, to the degree where they are now two of the top global crises. Each of these crises exacerbates the other, and both will devastate nature and living conditions for people if left unchecked.

With the recent adoption of an ambitious new Global Biodiversity Framework to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, protect at least 30% of land and ocean by 2030, and respect and recognize Indigenous rights and leadership, CPAWS is committed to continuing its work with Indigenous Peoples, federal, provincial and territorial governments, and other partners to ensure effective and equitable implementation of this plan in Canada.

When our organization was founded, conservation was undertaken in very different ways, and in a model that inherently excluded the First Nations, Metis and Inuit who had stewarded these lands and waters for millennia. They were not consulted in the decision-making processes and in many cases, their lands and livelihoods were taken from them. This is the shameful history of our sector, but it’s one that we need to acknowledge if we want to do better now and into the future.

CPAWS, as an organization, is committed to learning from our past. And while we now work very differently, we are still learning, and we know that to work in a good way means recognizing the leadership of First Nations, Metis and Inuit, and using our resources to support their conservation goals.

As the journey continues towards achieving this vision, we recognize that the work we do today builds on decades of prior efforts, including those made by Indigenous Peoples. CPAWS is committed to moving forward in the spirit and practice of truth and reconciliation, acknowledging and supporting the essential leadership of the Indigenous stewards who have cared for lands and waters since time immemorial.