Establishing Marine Protected Areas
Jerry V. DeMarco
Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development
Good afternoon Mr. Chair. I am pleased to be here to discuss our report on establishing marine protected areas, which was tabled in Parliament on November 6th. I would like to begin by acknowledging that we are on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe people. I am accompanied by Susan Gomez, Jessica Johnston, and Carey Agnew.
The report was one of 3 related audits on protected areas that were tabled together. The other 2 were on establishing terrestrial protected areas and on federal-Indigenous management of protected areas, including marine areas.
In our audit on establishing marine and coastal protected areas, we looked at whether Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Parks Canada, and Environment and Climate Change Canada were on track to establish protected and conserved areas covering 25% of Canada’s marine and coastal ecosystems by 2025.
We also examined whether these organizations were planning to protect and conserve areas covering 30% of marine and coastal ecosystems by 2030, ensuring that these areas are ecologically representative and important for biodiversity and ecosystem health.
We concluded that Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Parks Canada, and Environment and Climate Change Canada were not on track to meet the 2025 target of 25%. During the audit period, the marine and coastal areas that were protected and conserved increased from 12.5% to 15.5%. While this is far from the target of 25% by the end of this year, it is still a significant improvement from the less than 1% that was protected and conserved as of 2015.
We found that the 3 organizations had not developed a plan to meet the 2030 target of establishing a network to cover 30% of marine and coastal areas, including zones important to biodiversity and ecosystem health. Although the audit found that the 3 organizations had completed some important steps, such as identifying candidate areas for protection, they had not updated their collaborative framework to achieve the quantitative and qualitative elements of the 2030 target. This includes areas being well-connected and representative of ecological diversity.
We also found that the 3 organizations had not developed clear guidance to implement the federal marine protection standard. This standard is intended to prohibit harmful activities in marine protected areas, such as oil and gas exploration, mining, and bottom trawling.
Even though Canada is not on track to meet the 2025 target, the organizations made progress during the audit period. They undertook foundational work to protect and conserve marine and coastal areas, including identifying areas of interest for protection, and undertaking feasibility assessments. At a time when the federal government is seeking to expedite approvals for major projects of national importance, providing certainty about which areas are protected and conserved will support informed decision-making.
Marine and coastal areas play a critical role in addressing the biodiversity and climate crises. The federal government must continue building on the actions taken to date if it is to complete a well-connected and representative network that protects and conserves 30% of marine and coastal areas by 2030, even if it misses the 2025 target.
Mr. Chair, this concludes my opening statement. We would be pleased to answer any questions the committee may have. Thank you.