(Chapter 2—Meeting the Goals of the International Convention on Biological Diversity—Fall 2013 Report of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development)
Ottawa, 5 November 2013—Environment Canada has developed targets under the United Nations’ Convention on Biological Diversity, but it is not clear how Canada will achieve these targets, says Neil Maxwell, interim Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, in his Fall 2013 report tabled today in Parliament.
“Canada’s targets under the United Nations’ Convention on Biological Diversity are key to conserving biodiversity in our country,” said Mr. Maxwell. “Achieving them will require a concerted effort from many players, from governments to businesses to individual Canadians.”
The audit found that Environment Canada has led the development of draft goals and targets that cut across a number of important biodiversity issues, from creating protected areas to halting the loss of wetlands. However, most of the targets are not specific and key actions needed to achieve them have not been developed.
Environment Canada has yet to decide on its role and actions to support achieving Canada’s biodiversity targets. For example, the Department will not be leading the renewal of the first ever baseline assessment of Canada’s ecosystems, produced in 2010, but it has not set out what it plans to continue doing in terms of monitoring, promoting, and facilitating national implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Without Environment Canada’s leadership, the ability for comprehensive reporting on biodiversity and ecosystems across Canada over the long-term may be in jeopardy.
“Given the amount of work that needs to be done by 2020, Environment Canada must play an active part in developing and coordinating priority actions to address increasing threats to biodiversity,” said Mr. Maxwell.
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