(Chapter 1—Backgrounder on Biological Diversity—Fall 2013 Report of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development)
Ottawa, 5 November 2013—In a backgrounder on biological diversity presented today in Parliament, Neil Maxwell, interim Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, examines the nature and importance of biodiversity, the threats to it and their underlying causes, and ways to measure and manage biodiversity.
The backgrounder notes that biodiversity—the variety among and within living things and their ecosystems—is essential to nature’s ability to provide the food, natural resources, and environmental processes that support quality of life and well-being. For example, more than half of pharmaceutical drugs used to treat cancer are derived from natural sources. Canada’s social and economic prosperity relies on biological diversity and on the goods and services provided by a diverse natural environment, with the use of plants and animals contributing billions of dollars to key sectors across the Canadian economy and promoting the health of Canadians.
The backgrounder identifies a number of good management practices that could be used to protect and conserve biodiversity from the increasing threat posed by growing human populations, urbanization, and economic growth.
The document is not an audit report and does not assess the federal government’s current practices or performance, nor does it contain recommendations. It is provided to readers to complement information on biodiversity presented in the balance of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development’s Fall 2013 Report.
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