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Manitoba has less than five years to meet its conservation targets and a history of not adequately investing in protecting nature. Budgets 2024, and 2025 did not have appropriate funding for conservation.

Budget 2026 needs to prioritize nature conservation. We urge all Manitobans to tell the Minister of Finance that the conservation of our lands and waters must be a top priority.

The Manitoba NDP has pledged to develop an action plan that will set the course for its commitment to protect 30% of Manitoba’s lands and waters by 2030. This commendable target is an ambitious task and we are confident it can be achieved. With over 35 years of experience in advancing conservation in Manitoba, CPAWS is here to assist the government and Manitobans in ensuring a healthy balance of nature, culture, and sustainable economic developments.  

Protecting nature is an investment in people and wildlife that requires adequate resourcing. Without immediate and sustained investment in 2026, Manitoba risks falling irreversibly behind its own target. Securing protected areas requires lengthy processes that take years to accomplish, making it critical to ramp up efforts immediately. 

Achieving 30x30 requires a historic level of investment in conservation, far exceeding the funding provided by any previous provincial government. 

With only five years remaining, Manitoba must accelerate its conservation efforts by launching new projects, funding Indigenous conservation initiatives, and building the capacity of its Environment and Climate Change (ECC) department. 

Capacity to advance protected areas has been constrained for years due to chronic underinvestment.The previous provincial government significantly reduced the already limited capacity and to date the current government has not expanded funding to the level required to achieve 30x30. The Parks branch as well as the departments involved need sufficient resources to build and maintain the capacity required for planning and for effective partnerships with Indigenous communities. 

We do appreciate that Manitoba has worked with Canada to increase the capacity of Manitoba’s ECC’s parks branch. However, as the province seems to be challenged to move forward on multiple conservation initiatives simultaneously, adding additional capacity as soon as possible is  required if 30x30 is to be achieved. 

It’s also fundamental that Indigenous communities have the means to work effectively with the province and others. Resources required include funds for ensuring internal capacity for Indigenous Nations to lead or support the identification of protected area sites, the processes involved, and implementation of agreements. 

Establishing protected areas through legislation also requires that public consultation is undertaken. Ensuring appropriate resources are allocated for this purpose is essential.

Recommendation 1: Ensure sufficient resources are in place to achieve the protection of 30% of Manitoba by 2030. 

The following recommendations include specific components that will need to be well-funded to achieve 30x30. 

Recommendation 2: Invest in government capacity by significantly increasing budget allocations for the Parks branch and ensuring staffing levels are adequate to support the required work. 

Recommendation 3: Ensure adequate resources for a whole-of-government approach to achieving 30x30 that provides for the level of staffing and the processes required by relevant departments including Environment and Climate Change, Business, Mining, Trade and Job Creation, Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures, Agriculture, as well as the Premier’s Office. 

Recommendation 4: Invest in the capacities of Indigenous Nations as leaders and partners in conservation by committing significant financial resources and establishing a new, dedicated fund to support Indigenous-led conservation efforts. Administered collaboratively with Indigenous entities, this fund would ensure equitable access to resources and help address the current imbalance in provincial conservation funding, which remains largely focused on municipal Manitoba.

The fund could be supplemented by existing streams, such as the federal Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund and 2 BillionTrees initiative, alongside new federal and provincial investments. It should be designed to attract additional contributions from philanthropic organizations and conservation finance partners to amplify its impact.

Recommendation 5:  Ensure sufficient resources are available for required protected area public consultations.

Recommendation 6: Establish and allocate the resources needed to carry out a process to identify provincial subsidies that harm nature and reform them to support nature-positive actions.