Wild successes can come from new federal budget

The Canadian government took a significant step toward protecting habitats and wildlife in the federal 2018 budget announced this week with a $1.3 billion commitment over five years. This historic investment in nature came in response to calls WWF-Canada made with other groups to finally make wildlife and habitat a priority.

With backing from our supporters across Canada, WWF-Canada made the case for investing in wildlife by demonstrating how federally listed species are continuing to decline. And we brought attention to the critical needs of endangered southern resident killer whales.
The federal 2018 budget is an important response to these concerns, funding the protection of lands, inland waters and marine areas, promising to increase federal capacity to protect species at risk, and investing in the specific protection and recovery of endangered North Atlantic right whales, southern resident killer whales, and St. Lawrence estuary belugas.
These programs and commitments have the potential to support long-term conservation gains in Canada.
There are many details around implementation, funding and timelines to be worked out, but WWF is on the job. Next month we are convening experts across the country to discuss how we can increase our impact in conserving Canada’s wildlife – through protected areas and species protections – and will use the outcomes to help the federal government ensure new programs are designed effectively to reverse the decline of wildlife in Canada.
WWF would like to thank the Patrick and Barbara Keenan Foundation for their support of the Living Planet Report Canada and the upcoming Reversing Wildlife Decline Forum.