This year’s theme, Wildlife Conservation Finance, highlights the critical need for resources and funding, emphasizing the importance of aligning financial support with biodiversity preservation efforts and education.

Canada is home to some of the world’s most breathtaking landscapes and diverse species. There is no doubt that the plant and animal species across Earth’s ecosystems are under threat as biodiversity loss continues to accelerate at alarming rates globally. In fact, there has been a catastrophic 73% decline in monitored wildlife populations in the last 50 years, according to World Wildlife Fund‘s Living Planet Report 2024. Against the backdrop of the climate crisis, in combination with these unprecedented levels of biodiversity loss, finance for wildlife conservation has never been more critical. 

The United Nations World Wildlife Day is celebrated every year on March 3rd. This year, the theme is Wildlife Conservation Finance: Investing in People and Planet. There are countless studies which show the benefits of wildlife conservation investment – not only in positively impacting the environment and reversing the downward trend of biodiversity loss, but also in benefiting local and national economies, improving human health and well-being, and safeguarding future generations of plants and animal species that are crucial for climate resilience and food security. Beyond these more well-known positive impacts, more recently, investing in conservation has gained recognition as a vital tool for meeting global sustainability and biodiversity targets and commitments, such as the Strategic Vision of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora for 2030, the targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Building on this momentum, our Biodiversity Action Agenda presents actionable solutions to reverse biodiversity loss and strengthen conservation efforts. Available on our website in both English and French, this document outlines policy changes, public engagement strategies, recommendations for leadership, and more, to safeguard natural heritage and drive meaningful environmental change. Informed by a panel of experts across sectors, including but not limited to: business, academia, government, ecology, design, and civil society. These results provide a clear roadmap to integrate conservation science into decision-making. As a call to all Canadians and those with decision-making power in particular, immediate action is needed to increase civic awareness, engagement, and literacy on the importance of biodiversity across the country. Conservation investment is the missing link here for long-term impact, providing the necessary resources for the strategies and actions laid out in the document to turn into tangible results.

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