Key Takeaways:
- Canada is falling short of its national biodiversity targets and failing to protect nature, oceans, and people.
- The current colonial conservation model is failing both nature and historically marginalized communities.
- The report "Belonging in Nature" argues that conservation failures go hand in hand with systemic exclusion and calls for a shift towards relational and holistic approaches to nature policy and stewardship.
- The report highlights the need to address inequities in access to nature and move beyond exclusionary conservation frameworks.
- Solutions proposed include centering "Land Back" as the foundational frame for nature protection, legislating nature for all, scaling community-led solutions, and closing data gaps preventing belonging in nature.
Introduction to the Issue
The Canadian government’s progress on equity-based legislation and nature protection has stalled, with current policies falling short of national biodiversity targets. Despite the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which includes specific targets to protect 25% of Canada’s lands, waters, and oceans by 2025, Canada has missed the mark. The country remains off-track to meet its commitment to protect 30% of land and oceans by 2030. The lack of progress is particularly pronounced when it comes to addressing the barriers faced by Indigenous, Black, racialized, disabled, and low-income communities in accessing and belonging in nature.
The Report: Belonging in Nature
Greenpeace Canada has released a landmark report, "Belonging in Nature: Barriers, Impacts and Pathways to Nature for All across Canada," which argues that conservation failures go hand in hand with systemic exclusion. The report’s findings, research, and data were compiled in partnership with consultants from Indigenous and Black-led organizations, disability justice advocates, and grassroots groups. The report reveals how Canada’s current colonial conservation model is failing both nature and historically marginalized communities. It examines belonging-first approaches for nature policy, showing how systems built on exclusion and exploitation can be reimagined to address long-standing equity challenges faced by Indigenous Peoples, Black and racialized communities, newcomers, low-income households, and people living with disabilities.
The Current State of Nature Protection in Canada
With only 13.8% of land and freshwater and 15.5% of oceans currently protected, Canada is falling nearly 11% short of its 2025 land protection goals. The failure to adequately protect the environment is a systematic failure that ripples negative effects on the health, culture, and climate outcomes for Indigenous communities, Black, disabled, and racialized people all across Canada, whose livelihoods, safety, and ability to thrive depend on nature protection. The report’s analysis underscores the urgency of meeting this moment by addressing inequities in access to nature and moving beyond exclusionary conservation frameworks toward an understanding of land, people, and oceans as interdependent.
The Need for a New Approach
The report emphasizes learning from Indigenous knowledge systems and the traditions of diasporic communities, highlighting how Canada can shift from extractive colonial mindsets toward relational and holistic approaches to nature policy and stewardship. Salomé Sané, Nature & Biodiversity Campaigner at Greenpeace Canada, stated that "Canada is failing its biodiversity targets because it is still clinging to a colonial model that treats nature as a commodity and people as outsiders." Demiesha Dennis, Independent Consultant, noted that the research "underscores the need to dismantle institutional anti-Blackness and anti-Indigenous practices and to center community/grassroots voices and knowledge long ignored."
Proposed Solutions
The report calls for several solutions to ensure nature is recognized as essential to justice and well-being. These include centering "Land Back" as the foundational frame for nature protection and honoring Indigenous worldviews, legislating nature for all through the Nature Accountability Act, scaling community-led and co-designed solutions, and closing data gaps preventing belonging in nature. Karen Lai, Accessibility & Inclusion Consultant, stated that the report "provides a clear framework as to why some communities are excluded, pointing out that the fundamental challenge is that being in nature is built on a system of exclusion."
Conclusion
In conclusion, the report "Belonging in Nature" highlights the need for a fundamental shift in Canada’s approach to nature protection and conservation. By addressing inequities in access to nature and moving beyond exclusionary conservation frameworks, Canada can work towards a more just and equitable environmental future. The proposed solutions, including centering "Land Back," legislating nature for all, scaling community-led solutions, and closing data gaps, provide a roadmap for achieving this vision. Ultimately, recognizing the interdependence of land, people, and oceans is essential to ensuring the well-being and collective thriving of all.
