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A SPECIAL INTEREST SECTION BY MEDIAPLANET
Protecting Canada’s Wildlife & Biodiversity Q&A with
Dr. Jane Goodall Urgent Action for a Changing Planet: An Intimate Conversation with Dr. Jane Goodall on Conservation, Climate Change, and the Future of our Planet
Read the full Q&A with Dr. Jane Goodall on truenorthliving.ca.
Dr. Jane Goodall, a world-renowned primatologist and conservationist, shares her perspectives on the critical intersection between conservation and climate change. Drawing on her decades of experience working with wildlife and communities, Dr. Goodall offers insights into the urgent need for action and the inspiring potential for change.
I encourage everyone to take action. Start with our website — janegoodall.ca — there’s a pathway there for everyone to make a difference.
How has climate change affected Canada's environment and biodiversity? Everything in nature is interconnected. Human activity has caused climate change, leading to biodiversity loss, which, in turn, affects human livelihoods and quality of life. I’m not Canadian, but the wonderful Jane Goodall Institute staff keep me informed. The climate in Canada is warming twice as fast as the global average, causing devastating wildfires in British Columbia, melting icebergs in the North and rising sea levels along the coasts. The country’s boreal forest is one of the world’s four largest carbon sinks and it's under threat. It's becoming increasingly urgent to find ways to slow down climate change. But it isn’t only in Canada that these efforts must be made — it's a global problem
and we all need to take action now before it's too late. We need to think about the choices we make each day — like what we buy. Did it’s production harm the environment? Was it cruel to animals? Is it cheap because of unfair wages in the country where it came from? Millions of ethical choices will start making a huge difference. I know that Canada has made commitments to safeguard 30 per cent of marine and land areas by 2030, a significant step towards preserving the Earth’s biodiversity. However, organizations like the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada are needed to ensure that these committments are honoured, and to encourage all citizens from coast to coast to play their part.
Why is it important for us to care about conservation? We humans are part of the natural world and we depend on it for our survival — for air, water, food — and so much more. We rely on healthy ecosystems, and an ecosystem is made up of a complex and interconnected mix of plant and animal species, each with
role to play. It’s like a glorious living tapestry of interwoven threads. Every time a species vanishes from that ecosystem it's like a thread is pulled out until, in the end, the tapestry hangs in tatters and the ecosystem collapses. Thanks to our shortsightedness, the crazy idea that there can be unlimited economic development on a planet of finite natural resources and a growing populations of humans and livestock, ecosystems are collapsing around the globe. The biggest difference between us and other animals is the explosive development of the human intellect — you’ve only got to look up at the full moon and think, with awe, that we enabled men to walk up there, to realize the power of our brains. Unfortunately, though we may be clever we’re so often not wise, putting short term gain over protecting the environment for future generations. Fortunately, scientists are beginning to use their brains to find ways to heal some of the harm we’ve inflicted on the planet. And more people are thinking how they can do their bit to help. It’s up to each and every one of us to take responsibility for our actions and work towards a more sustainable future for ourselves and future generations.
The Importance of Protecting Canada’s Biodiversity Working together, we can stop biodiversity loss — including with fun initiatives like using the iNaturalist Canada platform during the City Nature Challenge. David DeRocco
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David DeRocco Senior Manager of National Marketing & Events, Canadian Wildlife Federation
or those interested in ensuring a bright future for wildlife, there’s a word you should know that speaks to the heart of the Canadian Wildlife Federation’s conservation efforts: biodiversity. Like “climate change” and “global warming,” the word biodiversity comes packed with various implications related to wildlife conservation in Canada. Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth, including the variety available within species (genetic diversity), the variety between species, and the variety of ecosystems. In 2022, Canada joined the nations of the world to adopt global goals and targets to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. The reasons why are clear — biodiversity is important for sustaining life as we know it, and the present rate of loss of biological diversity is perhaps the greatest global environmental threat facing humanity. Biodiversity is a key part of our future —
think about the involuntary systems within your body keeping you alive — your heart, your brain, your lung, and so on. Similar systems can be found in nature. There are plants using carbon dioxide to produce the oxygen we breathe. There’s an ongoing process of natural water filtration. There’s pollination of plants to produce food and ocean life that helps regulate climate. Biodiversity is critical to the survival of the human species, and right now, we humans aren’t doing the greatest job of protecting it.
Supporting biodiversity The good news is, there are a lot of ways Canadians can help. Most importantly, you can help stop biodiversity loss by acting locally, supporting organizations that conserve wildlife and reduce threats, and supporting governments and businesses that are taking action and improving their practices. Together, we need to increase the area and connectivity of natural ecosystems,
restore degraded habitats, and ensure that industries like forestry, agriculture, and urban development are environmentally sustainable. You can also make a truly impactful contribution to tracking Canadian biodiversity through the use of the iNaturalist Canada platform during the City Nature Challenge from April 28 through to May 7. iNaturalist Canada allows you to upload pictures or record sounds of all the For more nature you can find. The platform information on includes recognition software iNaturalist, visit that helps you discover what inaturalist.ca. species you may have found. All that information becomes part of an active database of biodiversity that This article was scientists across Canada and around the supported by world are now using to track species. Canadian Over nine million observations of nature Wildlife Federation. have already been tracked in Canada via iNaturalist. With your help, we can reach 10 million in 2023!
Publisher: Raman Walia Business Development Manager: Chelsea Siemon Senior Strategic Account Manager: Anna Sibiga Content Strategist: Nicole Kansakar Country Manager: Nina Theodorlis Production Lead: Michael Taylor Creative Lead: Kylie Armishaw Designer: Giuliana Bandiera Web Editor: Christina Morgan Digital Media Coordinator: Kristen Neals Digital Traffic Strategist: Karm Rathod All images are from Getty Images unless otherwise credited. This section was created by Mediaplanet and did not involve The National Post or its editorial departments. Send all inquiries to ca.editorial@mediaplanet.com.