CEO Andy Day appointed to new National Expert Taskforce on Financing Conservation, Restoration and Sustainable use of nature

At home, Canadian’s economy, climate, health, and identity rely heavily on nature. But Canada is also one of the most important countries in the world when it comes to natural systems.

“Our country contains 20 per cent of the world's fresh water, 25 per cent of global wetlands, nearly 28% of the earth’s boreal zone (including the world’s largest intact forest), 25% of coastal temperate rainforests, and habitat for approximately 80,000 species,” says Dr. Day. “Canada is one of five countries that, together, host 70% of the world’s remaining unroaded wilderness areas. In other words, Canada should and can lead the world.”

With so much at stake at home and abroad, Canada’s approach to conservation, restoration and sustainable use is in the spotlight.

That’s why Canada has announced an Expert Taskforce to develop recommendations on new ways to finance and account for the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of nature. Finance and accounting was named as the third pillar of the Government of Canada’s Force of Nature: Canada’s Strategy to Protect Nature, released earlier this year.

“Canada has an extraordinary opportunity—and imperative—to show the world that we value the community of life we are a part of,” says Day. “In British Columbia, we’ve seen what can happen when governments, Indigenous Peoples, communities, donors, businesses, and conservation organizations work together with the ambition to do something big. I’m excited to bring what we’ve learned to this national conversation and help find new ways to bring more investment, and more people, into protecting nature.”

Canada’s forests, wetlands, grasslands, coastlines, and other ecosystems are fundamental to our lives and economy, providing clean water, storing carbon, protecting communities from floods, and supporting wildlife.

The Expert Taskforce will provide independent advice to the Government of Canada on ways to better measure, value, and account for nature, while exploring financial tools that could attract more private investment toward conservation and other nature-positive outcomes.

Through initiatives like the BC Conservation Fund, BC Parks Foundation has helped develop new approaches to conservation financing in British Columbia, bringing together governments, donors, foundations, communities, Indigenous partners, and conservation organizations to protect important landscapes.

Over the coming months, the Expert Taskforce will consult with Indigenous partners and engage with organizations and experts from a range of sectors before developing recommendations for the federal government.

“This is a chance to think differently about what nature is worth, and what becomes possible when we invest in it accordingly,” says Day. “Canada has some of the most incredible natural landscapes in the world. If we can build new models that recognize their true value and give more people a way to participate in protecting them, the potential is enormous.”

See what’s possible when people come together to invest in nature. The BC Conservation Fund brings together public and private support to help advance Indigenous-led conservation and stewardship across British Columbia. Explore the BC Conservation Fund.