Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation

The contribution of land degradation to climate change is well documented. Avoiding the conversion of natural habitats to other land uses prevents carbon emissions that occur through such disturbance and enables further sequestration of carbon through appropriate land management activities.(17) While the quantum of carbon on private conservation lands may not be large in the context of all lands in Canada, it is clear that all actions, whether large or small, that contribute to achieving global targets related to climate change count given the magnitude of the challenge. Moreover, private conservation lands will play an increasingly important role in mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change. Ensuring that private land conservation organizations can effectively steward their conservation lands and agreements over the long term will ensure that these lands are continuing to contribute to addressing the global climate crisis.

17. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2020), Special Report on Climate Change and Land, Chapter 4: Land Degradation