CPAWS applauds today’s announcement of 1.3 billion dollars over 5 years to protect Canada’s land, freshwater, and wildlife. This unprecedented investment will enable Canada to achieve its commitment to protect at least 17% of our land and freshwater by 2020. To date, Canada has protected 10.6% of our landscape; Manitoba has protected 11% of lands and freshwaters within its borders.
Re: Strange way to honour World Wetlands Day (Feb. 8)
These initiatives demonstrate that our provincial government has the know-how to become a leader in Canada in the conservation and stewardship of wetlands. The test will be in how this knowledge is implemented on the ground. I look forward to the new legislation and to the boreal conservation policy for wetlands, and sincerely hope they result in effective conservation of this valuable resource.
Made-in-Manitoba climate solution
Manitoba’s Parks and Protected Spaces branch has hard-working and talented staff but there simply aren’t enough of them. They also don’t have the funds to accelerate the efforts required with communities and stakeholders to identify and conserve the wild places that would secure wildlife populations, sustain local cultures and continue to store carbon.
Saving Lake Winnipeg
I remember the moment when my heart felt what my mind already knew: our beloved Lake Winnipeg is in big trouble. This sad feeling was sparked when I overheard a woman, after reading a sign on the beach about the risks involved with swimming in the lake, tell her children she didn’t want them going in the water. They briefly walked along the shore and then left with an unopened picnic basket and unused towels in their arms.
Canada lags the world in land protection. Manitoba urged to commit to lands planning, new protection
In its latest annual report on the state of protected areas in Canada, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) is calling upon Manitoba to step up efforts to preserve more land by 2020. CPAWS’ 2017 report “From Laggard to Leader? Canada’s renewed focus on protecting nature could deliver results” calls Canada out for ranking last among G7 countries in the percentage of land and freshwater protected for conservation purposes, and encourages governments to accelerate the conservation of natural heritage in Canada, starting by delivering on their international commitment.
International Day for Biological Diversity – MB underusing effective tools to preserve biodiversity
In Manitoba, community land use planning and the Protected Areas Initiative are powerful tools to achieve biodiversity conservation targets. CPAWS hopes the new provincial government will employ these tools as means to achieve a sustainable future for the province.
Trudeau – Obama joint statement reaffirms conservation goals
CPAWS Manitoba applauds the re-affirmation by the Canadian and US federal governments that they intend to protect at least 17% of lands and 10% of marine areas by 2020. The goal was highlighted in a joint statement released today during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s state visit to the White House. It recognized these targets as an initial step toward greater protections and that concrete action will be taken to ‘substantially surpass these national goals in the coming years’.
The Boreal is beluga habitat
Successful whale habitat stewardship will reverberate through the forest
Two new protected areas and important conservation target announced with protected areas strategy
The province of Manitoba today released its Protected Areas Strategy outlining priority regions within which protections from industrial development will be sought. Ron Thiessen, Executive Director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society’s (CPAWS) Manitoba Chapter, who spoke at the Nov. 26 press event, was pleased to contribute to the development the strategy, which targets the protection of 17% of the landscape of Manitoba by 2020. This level of protection is on par with the national targets committed to by Canada through the United Nations Declaration on Biodiversity in 2010 .
Whiteshell’s Meditation Lake Area to be Protected
The Manitoba government recently announced that Mediation Lake and surrounding area in Whiteshell provincial park will become protected from developments under provincial law. This is a victory for conservation. It … Read More