Poll: Canadians Want to Protect More Land & Support Indigenous Stewardship
March 27, 2020 I IBCC
Ottawa: March 27, 2020: Most Canadians recognize that Indigenous stewardship can help Canada honour its international commitments to sustain lands and freshwaters. According to a new poll, the vast majority of Canadians expect the country to be a world leader in conservation. And most Canadians favour making Indigenous-led conservation a central part of Canada’s plan to meet international targets for preserving biodiversity.
The poll, conducted by Pollara Strategic Insights for the International Boreal Conservation Campaign, sampled 2,476 Canadians between March 9 to March 10, 2020. It found:
Overwhelming Support for Protecting 30% of Lands: Almost 9 out of 10 Canadians support the government’s pledge to protect 30% of lands by 2030. And over 80% expect Canada to be among the world’s leading nations when it comes to protecting lands, with almost half saying Canada should be the world leader.
Broad Support for Central Role of IPCAs in Meeting Targets: Over three-quarters support making IPCAs a central part of Canada’s plan to protect 30% of lands by 2030, with almost half expressing strong support.
Strong Support for Expanding the Challenge Fund: Almost three-quarters of Canadians (74%) favour continuing and expanding the Challenge Fund to support the creation of more Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas.
Most Canadians Favour Investing in Indigenous Stewardship: 70% of Canadians support long-term funding for Indigenous Guardians programs as part of creating Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas.
In 2015, Canada committed to protecting 17% of lands and freshwaters by 2020 as part of the Convention on Biological Diversity—an international effort to stem the tide of animal and plant extinctions. This year, nations of the world will commit to the next round of targets. In preparation, Canada’s federal government has pledged to protect 25% of lands and freshwaters by 2025, working toward 30% by 2030.
Some of the biggest, most ambitious conservation proposals are emerging from Indigenous Nations across the Boreal Forest. Supporting this conservation leadership will ensure Canada can meet its commitments and conserve lands on the scale scientists say is necessary to sustain biodiversity into the future.
A summary of the survey results is available here.
The full report is available here.
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The International Boreal Conservation Campaign is a collaboration of multiple organizations that has been working for two decades on the shared goal of balancing strong protections and responsible development throughout the Boreal Forest.