Canada – Save the Date! National Biodiversity Symposium: Toward a 2030 Biodiversity Strategy for Canada

May 13, 2023 | International

Overview
The conservation, protection, restoration and sustainable use of biodiversity is a shared responsibility in Canada. While the Government of Canada is leading development of the 2030 Biodiversity Strategy, working together in a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach will be crucial to implementing an ambitious Strategy that will meet Canada’s goals to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, and put us on track to living in harmony with nature by 2050.

We want to hear your views and perspectives to inform development of the 2030 Biodiversity Strategy, and learn about how you can contribute to halting and reversing biodiversity loss in Canada and help achieve our national and global biodiversity goals.

There are several opportunities for Canadians to provide views and perspectives to shape the 2030 Biodiversity Strategy, including:

Attending the National Biodiversity Symposium
Participating in an Online survey
The Government of Canada will host additional engagement events and platforms with key partners and stakeholders over the spring and summer of 2023 to support further dialogue on development and implementation of a 2030 Biodiversity Strategy.

National Biodiversity Symposium
On May 15, 2023, Environment and Climate Change Canada will host a virtual National Biodiversity Symposium. The Symposium, open to all interested Canadians, will kick-off formal engagement on developing Canada’s 2030 Biodiversity Strategy.

Watch here
 

Canada’s 2030 Biodiversity Strategy will establish a vision for halting and reversing biodiversity loss in Canada, and will reflect Canada’s domestic priorities for biodiversity conservation. It will also guide how Canada implements the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework goals and targets domestically.

Working together in a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach will be crucial to developing and implementing an ambitious 2030 Biodiversity Strategy to halt and reversing biodiversity loss in Canada by 2030, and put us on track to living in harmony with nature by 2050.

As the kick-off for engagement with Canadians on developing the 2030 Biodiversity Strategy, the Symposium program will offer a diversity of voices representing the different levels of government, Indigenous leaders, and key partners and stakeholders. The Symposium will provide the opportunity to:

Hear about outcomes from the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity 15th Conference of the Parties (CBD COP15) and an overview of the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework
Outline the process, opportunities to engage, and timelines for developing Canada’s 2030 Biodiversity Strategy
Hear Canadians’ perspectives on challenges, opportunities, and how they can contribute to development and implementation of Canada’s 2030 Biodiversity Strategy

Online Survey
Beginning May 15 to July 14, 2023, the Government of Canada is seeking your views and perspectives to inform development of Canada’s 2030 Biodiversity Strategy. The survey will draw on the issues, challenges, and opportunities presented in the Towards a 2030 Biodiversity Strategy for Canada discussion paper, and provide an opportunity for participants to respond to questions reflected in the discussion paper.

[Access the Survey Here]

Environment and Climate Change Canada, in collaboration with our partners, will continue to work to conserve our biodiversity. You can find out more about biodiversity and current efforts in Canada to support biodiversity conservation at:Biodivcanada.ca

This is the website of the federal, provincial and territorial working group on biodiversity. It profiles biodiversity information, news and events. This website reflects the shared responsibility for biodiversity in Canada and the commitment of governments to achieve the goals and objectives of the United Nations CBD through a collaborative approach.

Contact Information
For more information: Nature2030@ec.gc.ca.

The Partnership for Biodiversity Accounting Financials (PBAF) welcomes Rabobank and fourteen other new financial institutions

Mar 5, 2021 | Business, Environment

Rabobank and fourteen other financial institutions have joined the Partnership for Biodiversity Accounting Financials (PBAF). By doing so, they are showing their commitment to actively pursuing a shared methodology for measuring and reporting the impact of their loans and investments on biodiversity. This allows financial institutions to calculate their biodiversity footprint and take targeted action to restore and protect biodiversity.

The Partnership for Biodiversity Accounting Financials was formed in 2019 by founding partners ASN Bank (part of de Volksbank), ACTIAM, FMO, Robeco, Triodos Bank and Triple Jump. Fifteen more financial institutions have now decided to join the partnership. These are ABN AMRO Bank, APG, Achmea Investment Management, a.s.r. vermogensbeheer, BNP Paribas, de Volksbank, Finance in Motion, FirstRand Group, NN Investment Partners, NWB Bank, Piraeus Financial Holdings, Rabobank, Rathbone Greenbank Investments, UFF African Agri Investments and Van Lanschot Kempen. Today, the partnership consists of 21 members and total participant assets under management are $ 6.4 Trillion.

Roel Nozeman, Senior Advisor Biodiversity at ASN Bank and chairman of the partnership, is excited about the new partners joining the platform.

“A growing number of banks and insurance companies realise that loss of biodiversity poses a major threat both to society and to the economy, and that we need action now. Through our loans and investments, we can limit the damage to ecosystems and contribute to the protection and restoration of nature. To do so, we have to adopt a common approach to measuring our impact and using data, as we did before in the climate debate. The Common Ground Report, which PBAF presented last year at a UN biodiversity convention, is an excellent first step. We will join hands with all new partners to continue developing that common approach in dialogue with initiatives such as the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and in line with EU legislation.”

2021: common metrics

The shared ambition of the PBAF partners is for financial institutions to measure their impact on biodiversity, for them to be transparent about their impact reporting and for them to set targets to improve their ecological footprint. The aim is to present a new report describing the partners’ common metrics in 2021. To achieve this, the partners will team up in a number of working groups to address relevant issues, such as:

  • Biodiversity impact of investments in the agricultural sector.
  • Biodiversity impact of and dependencies in equity investments.
  • Biodiversity impact of investments in forestry, agroforestry and ecological restoration.

Biodiversity loss

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on earth and to ecosystems, i.e. the systems that sustain this life, such as forests and oceans. As it stands, the planet’s biodiversity is rapidly declining across the globe. Studies show that 1 million plant and animal species are threatening to become extinct. The world is losing biodiversity at an unprecedented rate. Many commodities and economic sectors are dependent on the variety of plants, animals and insects in the world, either directly or indirectly. An estimated 50% of global economic value generation is dependent on nature.

 

Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve Collaborates to Restore Mangrove Forests in Seruyan

Mar 2, 2021 | Business, Environment

As 2021 starts, the media continues to carry horrific stories of ongoing environmental abuse. We can no longer deny that the climate crisis is real, but somehow we manage to do just that. ‘Extinction: The Facts’ is a BBC Earth documentary, in which Sir David Attenborough explores how the loss of biodiversity has consequences for us all. He mentions the impact of global warming and the resulting climate crisis that has led to a loss or change of three-quarters of the world’s terrestrial surface. Sadly, the cause is human greed, our purchasing habits are killing off our natural resources.

There is so much we can do to help prevent further destruction. Mangrove ecosystem rehabilitation is something we feel can have an enormous impact on the environment and the people who depend on the health of the sea. Not only does this kind of forest store more carbon than normal forests, but it also protects a marine habitat that is vital to the oceans and the communities who live off the sea. The carbon in a mangrove forest is also called ‘blue carbon’.

The main challenge faced by mangrove ecosystems is that they are dwindling, this is a result of their destruction due to land development and community fish breeding ponds where the natural rhythms of nature are not respected. Population growth, especially in coastal areas, has resulted in changes in land use and excessive utilization of natural resources, thus mangrove forests have quickly diminished or have been severely damaged.

Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve, Tanjung Puting National Park and Seruyan District Government are in collaboration with the community in replanting 30,000 mangrove seedlings (Rhyzophora sp) in Tanjung Siamuk Beach, Sungai Undang Village, Seruyan District. The planting ceremony was held on Tuesday, February 16, 2021.

“Sungai Undang village was chosen because 80% of the people are fishermen as well as fishpond farmers.

The problem with fishponds has become critical in that it has led to mangrove forest destruction,” said Budi Suriansyah, Head of Management Section II of Tanjung Puting National Park who was directly involved in our mangrove recovery initiative.

The process of restoring mangrove ecosystems by involving the community has become especially important, it gives us an opportunity to build awareness of the value in maintaining the balance of the natural environment. Gerakan Masyarakat Bersatu, the local community group of Sungai Undang Village, was formed to create mangrove nurseries and conduct the necessary planting and monitoring. It is important that this type of initiative is managed in a sustainable way as this will ensure its success.

“Community involvement starts from designing, implementing, evaluating, and finding solutions. It is hoped that this process will increase the confidence and responsibility of community members and show that together we should be able to overcome some of the most important environmental problems,” Murlan Dameria Pane, Head of Tanjung Puting National Park said.

Chairman of Gerakan Masyarakat Bersatu Sungai Undang Village, Agung Yulianto at the planting site stated, “Some people still look at this planting activity solely as a means of income, however a side effect of this initiative is that it is helping to develop a sense of ownership and a desire to preserve the biodiversity in our homeland.”

The Seruyan mangrove forest area is located in Seruyan Hilir and Seruyan Hilir Timur sub-districts, which is just South of the working area of Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve and Tanjung Puting National Park. The loss of mangrove forest density in the Seruyan has become the main concern for all parties who have collaborated in this program, because if left alone, the result will be devastating. Not to mention that the loss of this rich ecosystem means a loss in the natural resources that support livelihoods of community people.
This replanting effort is expected to have a broad ecological impact on the environment and on the economic status of the surrounding communities.

“Now there is a special group that restores the beach with mangrove planting activities that help in preventing abrasion,” said The Head of Sungai Undang Village Eka Puspita Sari proudly.

In addition, this activity also provides opportunities to increase revenue from the construction of permeable dams, collecting seeds, filling polybags, nurseries, planting, monitoring and maintenance.

Community women are also able to generate an income by making “bronjong“, large natural cages that protect the planted seedlings.

Bronjongs are made of split bamboo, 30 cm in diameter and 60-70cm high. The bamboo is bound together to form baskets which are filled with silt and the young seedlings are planted inside. The plants attach themselves firmly in the baskets which help them withstand the crashing waves. Using this method means that the seedlings are also not easily uprooted and have a greater chance of survival.

“Small but important, activities such as planting trees around the house or through tree adoption programs, are small steps that can have a large impact on the sustainability of life. The mangrove planting program in Seruyan, is expected to be one of the most impactful contributions we can make in mitigating the climate crisis,” said Rimba Raya Executive Director Sylviana (Sylvi) Andhella.

The pace of climate change can be slowed by continuing to collaborate with all parties in designing sustainable-environmentally friendly-programs.

The challenges of replanting during this pandemic can be overcome by strictly following the arranged schedule, ensuring that tasks are evenly distributed and also by complying with the health protocols suggested by the government. The restrictions did not dampen the spirit of all teams involved in our mangrove ecosystem restoration efforts in Seruyan District, Central Kalimantan.
Head of the Environment Office of Seruyan Regency, Priyo Widagdo representing Head of Seruyan District said, “Seruyan District supports and really appreciates this restoration activity as mangrove ecosystems, especially on the Seruyan coastal area, are at a severe and critical stage. The mandate from Head of Seruyan District in restoring mangroves, is that it will not go well without the support and participation of the community and the institutions that must care about mangrove restoration. We must succeed in this activity and hope we will improve it in the future.“

The coverage of the mangrove planting activities can be seen on the Infinite Earth YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV8jmvGrV6M

Editor’s Note:
Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve develops livelihood programs in surrounding villages (addressing all 17 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals) to provide education, employment and hope for the future. The project is also the world’s largest privately funded orangutan sanctuary and is an Ecosystem Restoration project aimed at restoring and maintaining peat swamp forest ecosystems that are important habitats for orangutans and other IUCN Red Listed endangered wildlife. The project acts as the main buffer zone along the Tanjung Puting National Park in Seruyan District and follows ecological, economic, and social management principles. Visit https://rimba-raya.com

The Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve, an InfiniteEARTH Project, is one of the largest REDD+ projects in the world, protecting nearly 65,000 hectares of peat swamp forest in Central Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo and avoiding more than 130 million tons of carbon emissions. It is a living example of an economically viable alternative to deforestation. Visit https://infinite-earth.com

Rimba Raya Conservation as the field implementer, empowers the community to be involved in maintaining and preserving peat swamp forest ecosystems with the following approach: Empowered Communities, Healthy Forests, Maintained Climate, and supporting the achievement of the SDG targets in the assisted villages of the Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve.

Rimba Raya Duty
“By protecting forests, we take care of all the life that is in them and contribute to the balance of the global climate. We empower the community to be involved in maintaining peat swamp forests. Together we love the earth enough to prevent further destruction.” Djonni Andhella, President Director of PT. Rimba Raya Conservation.