Mark Carney launches major nature strategy to protect land and water across Canada

Mark Carney has announced a major new environmental strategy aimed at expanding conservation across Canada through a federal investment of 3.8 billion dollars designed to protect land, water, wildlife, and long term ecological security.

The announcement was made in Wakefield as the federal government introduced a national plan that links environmental protection with economic resilience and future development policy.

The new strategy sets out to significantly increase protected areas across the country as Canada works toward its international commitment to protect thirty percent of lands and waters by 2030.

Federal planners say the program will support up to fourteen new marine protected and conserved areas along with at least ten new national parks and freshwater marine conservation areas.

Additional support is also planned for ten more national marine conservation areas and fifteen national urban parks across different regions.

Officials estimate these measures could protect at least 1.6 million square kilometres of land and up to 700,000 square kilometres of ocean over the next four years.

That expansion would raise terrestrial conservation coverage from fourteen percent to thirty percent while marine protection would increase from more than fifteen percent to twenty eight percent, moving toward the thirty percent target.

Among major projects identified for advancement are the Wiinipaakw Indigenous Protected Area and National Marine Conservation Area and the Seal River Watershed National Park Reserve.

A major part of the strategy focuses on Indigenous led conservation.

More than 230 million dollars will expand the Indigenous Guardians Program and establish a new Arctic Indigenous Guardians initiative to strengthen monitoring, stewardship, and local conservation leadership.

The government also plans a 90 million dollar investment for habitat recovery connected to Wood Buffalo National Park, with special focus on restoring wood bison populations near the Alberta and Northwest Territories border.

Marine conservation measures will continue through support for the Ghost Gear Fund, aimed at removing abandoned fishing equipment from Canadian waters after thousands of tonnes have already been recovered in recent years.

The plan also connects environmental protection to industrial planning by introducing expanded biodiversity mapping, environmental data systems, and artificial intelligence tools to guide project approvals and land use decisions.

Federal authorities say these tools will help identify sensitive habitats earlier and improve how development projects move through environmental review.

A new national water security framework will also be developed through Canada Water Agency to strengthen freshwater ecosystems and long term drinking water reliability.

On aquatic species recovery, more than 410 million dollars is allocated for Pacific salmon restoration, while more than 80 million dollars is committed to wild Atlantic salmon habitat rebuilding.

The strategy also introduces a new expert taskforce that will study natural capital accounting and financing, aiming to encourage private sector investment in conservation projects.

Officials say the taskforce will recommend methods for measuring the economic value of ecosystems and integrating nature into national investment decisions.

The federal government says the strategy is designed to ensure future growth does not come at the expense of ecosystems and that conservation remains central to Canada’s long term national planning.

Courtesy: Prime Minister of Canada