Changing Context: Opportunities and Challenges

The private land conservation community is operating within a context in which expectations for the sector are rapidly changing in response to the priorities of Canadians. The mission of private land conservation organizations to safeguard ecologically significant lands in perpetuity has been galvanized by increasing trends of biodiversity loss, the climate emergency and other imperatives. As governments respond to these priorities, opportunities may be created for increased support to the community for stewardship and legal protection of private conservation lands and agreements. These priorities include:

  • conservation through reconciliation
  • counting toward Target 1
  • protection and recovery of species at risk
  • climate change mitigation and adaptation
  • the health and well-being of Canadians

The Value of Nature
According to the World Economic Forum, half of the world’s Gross Domestic Product is moderately or highly dependent on nature and the services it provides, and the global food-, land-, and ocean-use system provides up to 40% of the world’s jobs. Habitat loss and degradation and climate change are two of the top five global risks threatening our planet, economy and way of life. The benefits of protecting healthy ecosystems outweigh the costs by a factor of at least 5:1.


Source: Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (2020), The Economic Value of Investing in Nature: An Evidence Backgrounder