Canada

National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan

Northern AmericaApplies 2024–2030Source: "Six pillars" is Canada's own structural framing for implementation principles; it has no canonical KMGBF equivalent. Federal "target-specific implementation plans" in Annex 1 are treated here as

1. Overview

Canada's 2030 Nature Strategy: Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss in Canada was published in 2024 by Environment and Climate Change Canada under the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault [§1][§2]. The document sets out how Canada will implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), adopted in December 2022 at COP15, which Canada hosted in Montréal [§2][§7].

The strategy adopts the 23 GBF Targets "as-is" and states that Canada is "adopting the targets with the full ambition of the KMGBF" [§15][§20]. It is organised around six pillars* — Indigenous rights and reconciliation; whole-of-government, whole-of-society delivery; a resilient economy; on-the-ground action; the equal weighting of western science and Indigenous Knowledge; and integrated, holistic approaches such as the ecosystem approach and One Health [§3][§15]. Federal delivery is set out in Annex 1 (target-specific implementation plans for all 23 GBF Targets), Annex 2 (the Domestic Biodiversity Monitoring Framework), and Annex 3 (contributions from twelve provinces and territories) [§1].

Scope is shaped by jurisdiction. Federal lands cover only 6% of Canada's landmass; 76% is provincial and territorial, 6% is Indigenous-owned, and 12% is private [§3]. The federal government commits to "lead by example" on a foundation of more than $12 billion in nature investments since 2018, while identifying provincial, territorial, and Indigenous leadership as essential to delivery [§3][§13]. The Government of Québec considers itself excluded from the 2030 Strategy and is developing its own 2030 Nature Plan, including its own 30% conservation target [§8].

*"Six pillars" is Canada's own structural framing for implementation principles; it has no canonical KMGBF equivalent. Federal "target-specific implementation plans" in Annex 1 are treated here as national commitments, with provincial and territorial contributions reported separately in Annex 3. The 23 GBF Targets themselves are adopted directly, so no terminology translation is required for them.

Canada's NBSAP is a federal implementation plan for the 23 GBF Targets built on a jurisdictional split in which Ottawa governs 6% of the landmass and leverages Nature Agreements, Indigenous-led conservation, and $12B+ in domestic investments to deliver the rest. It adopts every GBF Target at full ambition, notes Québec's opt-out, and anchors accountability in a proposed federal nature accountability bill and a Domestic Biodiversity Monitoring Framework reporting in 2026 and 2029.

Sources:

§1 — Title page and table of contents
§2 — Minister's foreword
§3 — Executive summary
§7 — Halting and reversing biodiversity loss
§8 — Getting everyone involved
§13 — Building on our successes and addressing outstanding challenges
§15 — From vision to action
§20 — Annex 1 introduction

2. Ecological Context

Canada is the second-largest country in the world and one of five countries containing more than 70% of the world's remaining intact ecosystems [§4]. It holds 20% of the world's freshwater, 25% of the world's wetlands, 24% of the world's boreal forests, the world's longest coastline, and one of the world's largest marine territories, providing habitat for approximately 80,000 species [§4]. One in five species in Canada assessed in the Wild Species 2020 report is at some level of risk of extinction [§2][§5].

The strategy reports that Canada has lost 80% of original wetlands in and around urban areas, that approximately 80% of native prairie grasslands has been cultivated, and that aerial-insectivore bird populations have declined 59% since 1970 [§5]. As of December 2023, COSEWIC has assessed 875 species, 662 of which are listed as species at risk under the Species at Risk Act [Target 4].

Drawing on the 2019 IPBES Global Assessment, the strategy identifies the same five direct drivers of biodiversity loss operating in Canada as globally — land- and sea-use change, overexploitation, climate change, pollution, and invasive alien species — with land-use change dominant in terrestrial and freshwater systems and overexploitation dominant in marine systems [§5]. IPBES findings that nature is declining less rapidly on Indigenous Peoples' lands are cited to frame Indigenous-led conservation as a structural delivery lever [§5]. The strategy characterises biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution as "intrinsically connected" and identifies indirect drivers including harmful subsidies and economic systems that do not reflect the true values of nature [§6]. Indigenous food systems are reported as already affected, "with declining availability, accessibility, quantity, and quality of traditionally harvested foods" [§6].

Sources:

§2 — Minister's foreword
§4 — It's in our nature (opening)
§5 — A critical moment for nature and people
§6 — The triple crises

3. National Commitments and GBF Alignment

Canada adopts the 23 GBF Targets directly rather than defining a smaller set of national priorities [§15][§20]. Federal target-specific implementation plans (Annex 1) are the national commitments; the measurability assessment below applies to the federal-specific quantitative pledges and named investments within those plans, not to the GBF Target texts themselves. Targets 21, 22, and 23 are identified as cross-cutting foundations for all other targets [§15]. Commitments are grouped here into four clusters — conditions of nature, pressures, tools and solutions, and implementation — to keep the section navigable.

Conditions of nature (Targets 1–4, 8, 11, 12)

The federal government commits to conserve 30% of terrestrial and inland waters and 30% of coastal and marine areas by 2030, with an interim milestone of 25% of oceans by 2025 [§31]. Parks Canada is working to establish 10 new National Parks, 10 National Marine Conservation Areas, four freshwater NMCAs, and to designate up to six National Urban Parks by 2026 and 15 by 2030 [§34]. Under the Bonn Challenge, Canada pledges to bring at least 19 million hectares of degraded and deforested landscapes under restoration by 2030; the Natural Climate Solutions Fund targets restoration of 1.32 Mha by 2031 [§29]. Species recovery is delivered through the Species at Risk Act and the Pan-Canadian Approach to Transforming Species at Risk Conservation [§41]. Measurable commitment for the 30x30, NMCA/NUP, Bonn Challenge, and NCS Fund targets; directional aspiration for Target 1's "close to zero" loss of areas of high biodiversity importance (definition of those areas is itself a deliverable) and Target 4's halting of human-induced extinction (no species-level numeric threshold) [§21][§24][§38]. Key indicators: 30x30 progress (13.7% terrestrial / 14.7% marine as of December 2023) [§32]; Canadian Species Index; ecological integrity of 42 national parks; forest/freshwater/marine KBA registry [§151].

Pressures (Targets 5–7, 10, 16)

Canada commits to reduce excess nutrients lost to the environment by at least half, reduce overall pesticide risk by at least half, and work toward eliminating plastic pollution [§54]. The Freshwater Action Plan (2023–2033) targets clean-up of 12 of 14 remaining Great Lakes Areas of Concern by 2030 and all 14 by 2038, and achievement of Lake Erie phosphorus load reduction targets by 2039 [§55]. Canada-wide waste reduction goals are 30% by 2030 and 50% by 2040; the Greening Government Strategy commits federal operations to 75% non-hazardous waste diversion and 100% construction/demolition waste diversion by 2030, and a Food Loss and Waste Reduction Action Plan will cut food waste in half by 2030 [§107][§108]. Invasive alien species work is staged: release of a revitalized Aquatic IAS Action Plan in 2024–25 and completion of a vessel biofouling framework by 2027 [§51]. Measurable commitment for Great Lakes AOCs, waste diversion percentages, food waste halving, and IAS reduction rates; interim commitment for the Aquatic IAS Action Plan and biofouling framework; directional aspiration for Target 5 (sustainable, safe, and legal wild-species harvest and trade without a Canadian numeric threshold) [§43]. Indicators include fish stocks within biologically sustainable levels, municipal biodiversity strategy uptake, and urban greenness [§151].

Tools and solutions (Targets 13/15c, 14, 15a, 17, 18, 19, 20)

Target 14 is delivered through the new Climate, Nature, and Economy Lens, implemented from 2024 under the Cabinet Directive on Strategic Environmental and Economic Assessment, which requires biodiversity effects to be considered in all proposals to Cabinet, the Prime Minister, and the Minister of Finance [§16][§97]. A proposed federal nature accountability bill, if passed, would establish an accountability and transparency framework for federal KMGBF implementation [§16]. Target 18 work is explicitly staged: define incentives, compile a sectoral inventory, and develop an assessment framework by mid-2025, then "substantially and progressively reduce" harmful incentives and subsidies by 2030, starting with the most harmful [§118]. On access and benefit-sharing, Canada commits to "identify and assess" measures that could enable accession to the Nagoya Protocol and to "undertake an analysis" of Cartagena Protocol ratification — Canada is not currently a Party to either [§89][§110]. Measurable commitment for the mid-2025 Target 18 deliverables and the named financial pledges (Target 19, treated in Section 6); interim commitment for the nature accountability bill ("if passed into law"), Target 13/15c ABS steps, and Target 17 biosafety analysis; directional aspiration for Target 15a (addressed only obliquely via TNFD reference, with no Canadian regulatory regime for corporate biodiversity disclosure), Target 19's "explore" language on a national resource-mobilisation plan, and Target 20's capacity-building framing [§99][§124][§125]. Indicator status is mixed: the Target 18 and Target 19 public-funding indicators remain under development, and the Target 14, 17, 20, and 23 binary global indicators are still to be determined [§151].

Implementation (Targets 21, 22, 23)

The Domestic Biodiversity Monitoring Framework (Annex 2) integrates the 26 mandatory KMGBF headline indicators with Canadian domestic indicators, uses the 2011–2020 KMGBF baseline period, and reports in 2026 and 2029 [§18][§149]. Target 22 is delivered through the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and its 2023–2028 Action Plan (181 co-developed measures), distinctions-based Indigenous Nature Tables, and free, prior, and informed consent as the guiding principle [§137][§142]. Target 23 is delivered through Gender-Based Analysis (GBA) Plus (applied to the strategy itself) and the Feminist International Assistance Policy, under which 15% of bilateral ODA specifically targets gender equality and 80% integrates gender-equality objectives [§147]. Measurable commitment for the 2026/2029 reporting cadence and the FIAP 15%/80% targets; directional aspiration for Target 22's "one-window strategic partnership approach" (under development) and Target 23's commitment to "identify indicators to measure diversity and inclusion" [§143][§148].

Sources:

§15 — From vision to action
§16 — Laying the groundwork for transformative change
§18 — Measuring our progress
§20 — Annex 1 introduction
§21 — Target 1
§24 — Target 1 > What we're doing
§29 — Target 2 > What we're doing
§31 — Target 3
§32 — Target 3 > Current status
§34 — Target 3 > What we're doing
§38 — Target 4
§41 — Target 4 > What we're doing
§43 — Target 5
§51 — Target 6 > What we're doing
§54 — Target 7
§55 — Target 7 > Current status
§89 — Target 13/15c
§97 — Target 14
§99 — Target 15a
§107 — Target 16/15b > What we're doing
§108 — Target 16/15b > Going further
§110 — Target 17 > Current status
§118 — Target 18 > Going further
§124 — Target 19 > Going further
§125 — Target 20
§137 — Target 22 > Indigenous Peoples
§142 — Target 22 > What we're doing
§143 — Target 22 > Going further
§147 — Target 23 > What we're doing
§148 — Target 23 > Going further
§149 — Annex 2 overview
§151 — DBMF indicator table

4. Delivery Architecture

Delivery is organised across conservation, species, sectoral, climate, and finance instruments led by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Parks Canada (PC), Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Infrastructure Canada (INFC), and Global Affairs Canada (GAC) [§123].

Core legislation includes the Species at Risk Act (SARA), Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA), the Fisheries Act (including the Fish Stocks Provisions establishing statutory rebuilding obligations), the Oceans Act, the Canada National Parks Act, the Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act, the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994, the Impact Assessment Act, the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act (2030 40–45% below 2005 and net-zero by 2050), and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act [§8][§62][§137][§142]. Proposed Competition Act amendments address greenwashing; Bills C-244 and C-294 before the Senate would amend the Copyright Act in support of Right to Repair [§107].

Flagship conservation programmes include the Enhanced Nature Legacy ($2.3B over five years to conserve up to 1 million km² of additional land and inland waters), the Natural Climate Solutions Fund ($5B across NRCan's 2 Billion Trees, ECCC's Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund, and AAFC's Agricultural Climate Solutions), the Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk, the Habitat Stewardship Program, the Aboriginal Fund for Species at Risk, Parks Canada's National Program for Ecological Corridors (4–6 corridor projects) and Conservation and Restoration (CoRe) projects, the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (9.5 Mha secured since 1986), the Natural Heritage Conservation Program, and the Ecological Gifts Program [§29][§36][§62][§117]. DFO's Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative, Whalesafe Gear Strategy, Oceans Protection Plan, Sustainable Fisheries Framework, and Aquatic Ecosystems Restoration Fund anchor the marine portfolio [§41][§46][§67][§77]. The Freshwater Action Plan (2023–2033), Chemicals Management Plan, Northern Contaminants Program, Federal Zero Plastic Waste Agenda, and Integrated Satellite Tracking of Pollution (ISTOP) programme deliver pollution commitments [§55][§57].

Market and finance mechanisms include Canada's Green Bond Program ($9B across 2022 and 2024 issuances covering terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity), INFC's Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund ($3.8B+) and Natural Infrastructure Fund, ECCC's pilot National Conservation Exchange (recognising private-sector conservation investments), the federal Inefficient Fossil Fuel Subsidies Assessment Framework and Guidelines (July 2023), and ECCC's emerging GHG offsets protocols covering nature-based solutions [§62][§82][§117][§121].

Subnational arrangements are central given the federal share of only 6% of Canada's landmass. Nature Agreements with Yukon, Nova Scotia, and the Tripartite Framework Agreement with British Columbia and the First Nations Leadership Council channel federal funding to provincial and territorial priorities; four Project Finance for Permanence initiatives ($800M federal) underpin Indigenous-led conservation at scale [§36][§142]. Annex 3 contains chapters from twelve provinces and territories setting out their own strategies, legislation, and conservation-area commitments, including Nova Scotia's Biodiversity Act (2021) and Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act (legislated 20%-by-2030 protection), British Columbia's draft Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework and $300M Conservation Financing Mechanism, New Brunswick's commitment to expand Crown-land conservation from 23% to 30%, and Ontario's 2023–2030 Biodiversity Strategy [§153][§168][§173]. Québec is developing its own 2030 Nature Plan outside the federal strategy [§8].

Sources:

§8 — Getting everyone involved
§29 — Target 2 > What we're doing
§36 — Area of Action Highlights
§41 — Target 4 > What we're doing
§46 — Target 5 > What we're doing
§55 — Target 7 > Current status
§57 — Target 7 > What we're doing
§62 — Target 8 > What we're doing
§67 — Target 9 > What we're doing
§77 — Target 10 > What we're doing
§82 — Target 11 > What we're doing
§107 — Target 16/15b > What we're doing
§117 — Target 18 > What we're doing
§121 — Target 19 > Current status
§123 — Target 19 > What we're doing
§137 — Target 22 > Indigenous Peoples
§142 — Target 22 > What we're doing
§153 — British Columbia
§168 — Nova Scotia
§173 — Ontario

4a. Federal–Provincial–Territorial–Indigenous Jurisdictional Architecture

The defining structural feature of Canada's strategy is the split of land ownership and authority. Federal lands cover only 6% of Canada's landmass; 76% is provincial and territorial, 6% is Indigenous-owned, and 12% is private [§3]. Federal jurisdiction is concentrated in migratory birds, SARA-listed species, ocean management, and international trade in wild species, with shared responsibility for fisheries, aquatic species, and pollution prevention [§8]. Provincial and territorial governments lead on wildlife and habitat management, terrestrial species on provincial Crown land, natural resource development, and land-use planning across most of Canada's land and coastal areas [§8]. The federal government commits to "lead by example" and to deliver the national contribution through three main instruments:

Nature Agreements — bilateral federal–PT funding and coordination agreements that have been signed with Yukon (2023–2026), Nova Scotia (October 2023, adding 82,500 ha by March 2026), and as a Tripartite Framework Agreement with British Columbia and the First Nations Leadership Council [§36][§169].
Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) — four initiatives backed by up to $800M of federal funding, with progress including the Qikiqtani Inuit Association Agreement in Principle and the Northwest Territories Our Land for the Future Framework Agreement [§36][§167].
Annex 3 PT chapters — detailed contributions from British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, and Yukon, each naming their own legislation, protected-area targets, and funding mechanisms [§153]–[§181].

Québec considers itself excluded from the 2030 Strategy's application and is developing its own 2030 Nature Plan, including the 30% conservation target within Québec, while continuing to implement the CBD through its own policies and tools [§8]. Implementation of the Impact Assessment Act and the federal nature accountability bill operates within this jurisdictional envelope rather than overriding it [§16][§142]. The 2030 Strategy identifies coordination across federal departments, across levels of government, and across "frequently siloed" monitoring systems as its key delivery challenge [§13].

Sources:

§3 — Executive summary
§8 — Getting everyone involved
§13 — Building on our successes
§16 — Laying the groundwork
§36 — Area of Action Highlights
§142 — Target 22 > What we're doing
§153–§181 — Annex 3 PT chapters
§167 — Northwest Territories
§169 — Nova Scotia

5. Monitoring and Accountability

Implementation oversight sits with ECCC, working through federal–provincial–territorial governance structures that the federal government commits to revise to align with the 2030 Strategy and KMGBF [§16]. A proposed federal nature accountability bill, if passed into law, would establish an accountability and transparency framework with meaningful checkpoints for federal KMGBF implementation, enabling assessment of progress and course corrections [§16]. The Climate, Nature, and Economy Lens, implemented from 2024 through the Cabinet Directive on Strategic Environmental and Economic Assessment, requires biodiversity effects to be considered in all proposals submitted to Cabinet, the Prime Minister, and the Minister of Finance [§16][§97].

The Domestic Biodiversity Monitoring Framework (DBMF) (Annex 2) is the central monitoring instrument. It integrates the 26 mandatory KMGBF headline indicators with Canadian domestic indicators, combines three measurement types (implementation performance, effectiveness of actions via surrogate measures, and direct or indirect state-of-biodiversity measurement), and uses the KMGBF's 2011–2020 baseline period [§18][§149]. Several domestic indicators are classified "under development" or "not existing/requires development," including indicators on positive and harmful incentives (Target 18), international and domestic public funding for biodiversity (Target 19), and the Target 21 indicator on biodiversity information for monitoring the KMGBF [§151]. Targets 14, 17, 20, and 23 rely on global binary indicators that are still to be determined [§151]. All CBD Parties report progress in 2026 and 2029 [§18].

Indigenous data sovereignty governs information sharing: implementation is guided by the First Nations principles of ownership, control, access, and possession (OCAP®), the Principles of Ethical Métis Research, the National Inuit Strategy on Research, and CARE Principles [§131]. The Open Science and Data Platform provides access to over 150,000 records on cumulative effects, biodiversity, species at risk, and forests [§131]. Supporting reporting products include ECCC's Wild Species report, NRCan's State of Canada's Forests report, DFO's Annual Sustainability Survey for Fisheries, the Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators, and Statistics Canada's developing Census of Environment following the UN System of Environmental-Economic Accounting—Ecosystem Accounting [§131][§133]. The DBMF is national in scope and is complemented by subnational monitoring (e.g., Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute, Ontario Biodiversity Council) [§149]. Reporting continues through the 2022–2026 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy, which sets targets across 101 federal organizations [§14].

Sources:

§14 — Connections to other efforts
§16 — Laying the groundwork
§18 — Measuring our progress
§97 — Target 14
§131 — Target 21 > Current status
§133 — Target 21 > What we're doing
§149 — Annex 2 overview
§151 — DBMF indicator table

6. Finance and Resource Mobilisation

Canada's strategy commits approximately $12.5 billion in recent federal domestic funding for nature and biodiversity, delivered across ECCC, DFO, Parks Canada, NRCan, AAFC, and INFC [§121][§123]. Named investments include $1.3B for Nature Legacy, $2.3B for the Enhanced Nature Legacy, $976.8M for Marine Conservation Targets, up to $800M for four Project Finance for Permanence initiatives supporting Indigenous-led conservation, and $5B for the Natural Climate Solutions Fund [§123]. The $12.5B figure is announced or historical federal spending rather than a forward costing of the gap to 2030; no consolidated national cost estimate for delivering the strategy is published, and no consolidated provincial or territorial biodiversity spending figure is reported [§121][§122].

Green bonds are unusual among G7 NBSAPs as a biodiversity-finance instrument. Canada has raised $9B across two issuances — a 7.5-year $5B issuance in March 2022 (final order book over $11B) and a $4B issuance in March 2024 — financing green government initiatives including terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity [§121][§123].

International finance totals more than $1.65B in biodiversity-related official development assistance for 2021–2026 [§126]. Components include a $5.3B climate finance commitment (2021–2026) with a minimum 20% (over $1B) allocated to projects leveraging nature-based solutions and biodiversity co-benefits; a $350M International Biodiversity Program (2023–2026) managed by GAC; Canada's $200M pledge to the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund — the first country to pledge — with a 20% aspirational allocation for Indigenous-led initiatives; and a $241.8M contribution to the GEF-8 replenishment (2022–2027), of which 36% of the total $5.33B replenishment is dedicated to biodiversity [§121][§123][§126][§128]. Canada endorsed the COP28 Joint Statement on Climate, Nature, and People [§121].

On harmful incentives (Target 18), in July 2023 Canada became "the first G20 country to deliver on its commitment to phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies," releasing the Inefficient Fossil Fuel Subsidies Assessment Framework and Guidelines [§115][§117]. A plan to phase out public financing for fossil fuels was committed for fall 2024 [§117]. Progress on the broader suite of biodiversity-harmful incentives is described as "at a very early stage": by mid-2025 the federal government commits to define incentives, compile a sectoral inventory, and develop an assessment framework; by 2030 it commits to substantially and progressively reduce harmful incentives, starting with the most harmful [§115][§118]. No monetary figure for biodiversity-harmful subsidies is disclosed.

On resource mobilisation (Target 19), the NBSAP states that biodiversity finance "is still nascent, perceived as more complex and in competition with finite climate funding" and commits to continue identifying how to use federal instruments and convening power to attract private-sector resources, potentially through a national resource-mobilisation plan, public-private partnerships, blended finance, impact funds, fiscal incentives, and a public listing of companies' nature-positive activities [§121][§124]. The Target 19 global figures — $200B/yr by 2030 from all sources and $20B/$30B in developed-to-developing flows — are explicitly identified as collective CBD-wide targets rather than Canadian commitments [§119][§20].

Sources:

§20 — Annex 1 introduction
§115 — Target 18 > Current status
§117 — Target 18 > What we're doing
§118 — Target 18 > Going further
§119 — Target 19
§121 — Target 19 > Current status
§122 — Target 19 > Challenges and opportunities
§123 — Target 19 > What we're doing
§124 — Target 19 > Going further
§126 — Target 20 > Current status
§128 — Target 20 > What we're doing

6a. Indigenous-Led Conservation and Stewardship

Indigenous-led conservation is a structural delivery lever rather than a thematic chapter in Canada's strategy. Over 100,000 km² of Indigenous-led protected areas and OECMs have already been established in Canada, including Edehzhie Dehcho Protected Area and National Wildlife Area (14,218 km²), Thaidene Nëné Indigenous Protected Area (14,070 km²), Kitaskino Nuwenëné Wildland Provincial Park (3,145 km²), and Ts'udé Nilįné Tuyeta; feasibility work continues on a potential Seal River Watershed IPCA, advanced through a January 2024 MOU between the Seal River Watershed Alliance, Indigenous Nations, Canada, and Manitoba [§9][§32][§157].

Dedicated federal funding architecture underpins this delivery model. The Indigenous-Led Area-Based Conservation (ILABC) program, with its precursor Target 1 Challenge, has provided $202M to 94 recipients since 2019–2020 [§36]. The four Project Finance for Permanence initiatives ($800M federal) are expected to support marine and terrestrial protected and conserved areas and long-term Indigenous-led management [§36]. The federal Indigenous Guardians program and the First Nations-led First Nations National Guardians Network (launched 2022) support community-based stewardship, and DFO's Oceans Management Contribution Program supports Indigenous capacity for Oceans Act MPAs and marine OECMs [§9][§36].

Governance rests on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and Canada's UN Declaration Act Action Plan (2023–2028) (181 co-developed measures), free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) as the guiding principle, and constitutionally protected rights under Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 [§137][§142]. Distinctions-based Indigenous Nature Tables enable ongoing federal collaboration with First Nations, Inuit, and the Métis Nation on shared biodiversity priorities, and Parks Canada is co-designing an Indigenous Stewardship Policy with the Indigenous Stewardship Circle [§142]. The Assembly of First Nations notes that Crown legislation currently contains no explicit recognition for IPCAs, and calls for review of policy and legislative tools to support recognition of First Nations laws in IPCA designation [§185]. Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami requests that Inuit and the federal government co-develop legislation to share authority for Inuit Protected and Conserved Areas (Saputijausimajunik Nunanik Tariumilu Inuit Nunanganni) [§11]. The Métis National Council and its Governing Members are authoring a Métis Nation Conservation Strategy and collaborate with Canada through the Métis Nation – Canada Strawberry Moon Table on Nature [§12].

Sources:

§9 — Indigenous leadership in conservation
§11 — Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
§12 — Métis National Council
§32 — Target 3 > Current status
§36 — Area of Action Highlights
§137 — Target 22 > Indigenous Peoples
§142 — Target 22 > What we're doing
§157 — Manitoba
§185 — Annex 4 > First Nations leadership

7. GBF Target Coverage

GBF Target 1 — Spatial planning: Addressed. Preliminary federal estimates place at least 60% of Canada's land and freshwater area and 30% of its marine area under some form of spatial planning. DFO is developing four first-generation marine spatial plans or frameworks (Pacific North Coast, Southern British Columbia, Scotian Shelf-Bay of Fundy, Newfoundland and Labrador Shelves, and the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence) by end of 2024. Strategic Conservation Frameworks for agriculture, forestry, and urban development sectors are under development; the federal government commits to define "areas of high biodiversity importance" and publish maps. Regional land-use plans in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories (Sahtu, Gwich'in) are legally binding.

GBF Target 2 — Ecosystem restoration: Addressed. Canada's Bonn Challenge pledge of 19 Mha under restoration by 2030 anchors this target. The Natural Climate Solutions Fund targets 1.32 Mha of restoration by 2031. The Freshwater Action Plan commits to cleaning up 12 of 14 Great Lakes Areas of Concern by 2030 and all 14 by 2038, with Lake Erie phosphorus targets by 2039. The NBSAP acknowledges that Canada lacks national definitions of "degraded areas" and "effective restoration" and commits to define these, establish baselines, and assess priority areas.

GBF Target 3 — Protected and conserved areas (30x30): Addressed. Canada must more than double cumulative conservation in six years: 13.7% terrestrial and 14.7% marine as of December 2023, against 30% by 2030 (with an interim 25% marine by 2025). Parks Canada is establishing 10 new National Parks, 10 NMCAs, 4 freshwater NMCAs, and designating up to 6 National Urban Parks by 2026 and 15 by 2030. Federal delivery relies on the $202M ILABC program, $800M in Project Finance for Permanence, and Nature Agreements with Yukon, Nova Scotia, and the BC-FNLC Tripartite Framework.

GBF Target 4 — Species recovery: Addressed. SARA lists 662 species at risk (of 875 COSEWIC-assessed as of December 2023). The Pan-Canadian Approach to Transforming Species at Risk Conservation and the Framework for Aquatic Species at Risk Conservation shift toward multi-species, ecosystem-based planning. Funding programs include the Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk, Habitat Stewardship Program, Aboriginal Fund for Species at Risk, and Species at Risk Partnership on Agricultural Lands. Priority-species work covers whales, Pacific salmon, wood bison, and boreal and southern mountain Caribou; DFO is developing a Whalesafe Gear Strategy. No species-level numeric recovery target is set.

GBF Target 5 — Sustainable harvest: Addressed. Delivery runs through the Sustainable Fisheries Framework — including the Precautionary Approach, catch-monitoring policy, and Policy on Managing Bycatch — and the Fish Stocks Provisions of the Fisheries Act, which establish statutory rebuilding obligations for prescribed stocks. The DBMF tracks headline indicator 5.1 (fish stocks within biologically sustainable levels) via DFO's Annual Sustainability Survey for Fisheries, plus a domestic indicator on migratory bird game species.

GBF Target 6 — Invasive alien species: Addressed. IAS threaten 42 federally listed species at risk. DFO is releasing a revitalized Canadian Action Plan to Address the Threat of Aquatic IAS in 2024–25; TC is completing a national policy framework to control vessel hull biofouling by 2027. Supporting instruments include the 2021 Ballast Water Regulations, CFIA's forthcoming Canadian Plant Health Information System (2024), NRCan's Forest Pest Risk Management program, and DFO's eDNA laboratory launched in early 2024.

GBF Target 7 — Pollution reduction: Addressed. The target commits to halving nutrient loss, halving overall pesticide risk, and working to eliminate plastic pollution. Flagship instruments include the Freshwater Action Plan (12 of 14 Great Lakes AOCs by 2030; all 14 by 2038; Lake Erie phosphorus by 2039), the Chemicals Management Plan, amendments to the Pest Control Products Regulations by 2025, the Canada-wide Strategy and Action Plan on Zero Plastic Waste, and a federal Ocean Noise Strategy. Canada commits to leadership in negotiating a legally binding international agreement on plastic pollution. 2021 releases totalled 2.92 Mt, a 17% decrease from 2012.

GBF Target 8 — Climate and biodiversity: Addressed. The Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act legislates a 40–45% reduction from 2005 by 2030 and net-zero by 2050, with a 2035 target to be set by December 1, 2024. The Natural Climate Solutions Fund targets 7–10 Mt CO₂e annually by 2030 and 16–20 Mt CO₂e by 2050 from land-use. At least 20% (over $1B) of the $5.3B climate finance commitment is allocated to nature-based solutions with biodiversity co-benefits. The Climate, Nature, and Economy Lens applies from 2024. The WildFireSat mission is planned for launch in 2029.

GBF Target 9 — Wild species use: Mentioned. The dedicated Target 9 chapter text was not captured in the reviewed corpus. The Fish Stocks Provisions and Sustainable Fisheries Framework deliver the sustainable-use dimension for aquatic species. Both DBMF headline indicators — 9.1 (benefits from sustainable use) and 9.2 (percentage of population in traditional occupations) — are classified "under development."

GBF Target 10 — Sustainable sectors: Addressed. Agriculture covers 62.2 Mha (6.3% of Canada); approximately 72% of managed Crown forest is certified to at least one sustainable forest management standard. Delivery runs through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (2023–2028), AAFC's Agricultural Climate Solutions (2021–2031) including the Living Labs stream, DFO's Sustainable Aquaculture Program, the Sustainable Fisheries Framework, and NRCan's State of Canada's Forests reporting. A Sustainable Agriculture Strategy and a National Forest Resilience Strategy are under development; sectoral Strategic Conservation Frameworks are due (agriculture summer 2024; forestry end of 2025).

GBF Target 11 — Ecosystem services (NbS): Addressed. Delivery runs through the National Adaptation Strategy's Nature and Biodiversity system, INFC's Natural Infrastructure Fund and $3.8B+ Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund, Statistics Canada's Census of Environment (following SEEA EA), Parks Canada's carbon stock mapping under Enhanced Nature Legacy, and the Natural Climate Solutions Fund. The federal government commits to develop NBS/EbA assessment tools and to explore criteria for Payment for Ecosystem Services initiatives.

GBF Target 12 — Urban biodiversity: Addressed. Urban greenness declined 7.8% from 2000 to 2023; 70% of southern-border-proximate Canadians live in cities. Parks Canada is designating up to 6 National Urban Parks by 2026 and 15 by 2030, starting with Windsor, Ontario. NRCan's 2 Billion Trees Urban Lands stream will plant approximately 5 million urban trees by 2031. ECCC will develop a strategic conservation framework for species at risk in urban and near-urban areas by 2025 and will support up to eight municipalities in expanding urban protected areas by 2030.

GBF Target 13 — Genetic resources / ABS: Addressed. Canada is not a Party to the Nagoya Protocol and has no comprehensive ABS policy or bioprospecting guidance. The federal government commits to "identify and assess" measures that could enable Nagoya accession and to develop bioprospecting guidance. Canada participates in international ABS negotiations including enhancement of the ITPGRFA Multilateral System, the BBNJ Agreement's DSI provisions, and a new CBD multilateral mechanism on DSI benefit-sharing. Ex situ collections include Plant Gene Resources Canada, the National Tree Seed Centre, Animal Genetic Resources of Canada, and the Live Gene Bank for Inner Bay of Fundy Atlantic Salmon.

GBF Target 14 — Mainstreaming: Addressed. The Climate, Nature, and Economy Lens (Cabinet Directive on Strategic Environmental and Economic Assessment) applies from 2024 to all proposals to Cabinet, the Prime Minister, and the Minister of Finance. A proposed federal nature accountability bill would establish an accountability and transparency framework. Supporting instruments include IAAC under the Impact Assessment Act, the Greening Government Strategy, StatCan's Census of Environment, the National Conservation Exchange pilot, and the forthcoming National Environmental Learning Framework (2025). An Effects Management Framework grounded in the mitigation hierarchy is under development.

GBF Target 15 — Business disclosure: Mentioned. Target 15a is addressed obliquely via reference to the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and voluntary sector standards; the NBSAP sets out no Canadian regulatory regime for corporate biodiversity disclosure. Target 15b (consumer information) is handled through forthcoming chemicals-of-concern and plastics recyclability/compostability labelling instruments; Target 15c is handled under Target 13. Proposed Competition Act amendments address greenwashing.

GBF Target 16 — Sustainable consumption: Addressed. Canada has one of the highest rates of material consumption globally; only 6% of materials consumed were recycled in 2020. Canada-wide waste reduction goals are 30% by 2030 and 50% by 2040. A Food Loss and Waste Reduction Action Plan will cut food waste in half by 2030. The Greening Government Strategy commits federal operations to 75% non-hazardous waste diversion and 100% construction/demolition waste diversion by 2030. Budget 2024 announced a targeted repair framework for home appliances and electronics; Bills C-244 and C-294 are before the Senate.

GBF Target 17 — Biosafety: Addressed. Canada is not a Party to the Cartagena Protocol; the federal government commits to "undertake an analysis" of potential ratification. CEPA provides a science-based framework applying to living organisms whether genetically modified or not; ECCC and HC will propose amendments to the New Substances Notification Regulations (Organisms) by early 2025 and will publish an updated context-dependent microbial risk assessment framework in 2024. Horizon scanning on synthetic biology and AI in LMO development is flagged as a priority.

GBF Target 18 — Harmful subsidies: Addressed. In July 2023 Canada became the first G20 country to deliver on its commitment to phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, releasing the Inefficient Fossil Fuel Subsidies Assessment Framework and Guidelines. A plan to phase out public financing for fossil fuels was committed for fall 2024. By mid-2025, the federal government commits to define incentives, compile a sectoral inventory, and develop an assessment framework; by 2030, to substantially and progressively reduce the most harmful incentives. The $500B/yr global figure is a collective CBD target, not a Canadian quantitative commitment. No monetary figure for biodiversity-harmful subsidies is disclosed.

GBF Target 19 — Finance mobilisation: Addressed. See Section 6 for full treatment. Approximately $12.5B in federal domestic nature funding has been announced, $9B has been raised through two Green Bond issuances (2022, 2024), and international biodiversity ODA totals over $1.65B for 2021–2026. Canada was the first country to pledge to the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund ($200M). The NBSAP commits to "explore" developing a national resource mobilisation plan. The $200B/yr global and $20B/$30B developed-to-developing figures are collective CBD targets.

GBF Target 20 — Capacity and technology: Addressed. Canada commits over $1.65B in biodiversity-related ODA for 2021–2026, delivered through the $350M International Biodiversity Program, the $241.8M GEF-8 contribution, and the 20% NBS allocation within the $5.3B climate finance envelope. The Global Biodiversity Framework Fund's 20% aspirational allocation targets Indigenous-led initiatives in developing countries. The Indigenous Peoples Partnering for Climate initiative supports partnerships between Indigenous Peoples in Canada and in developing countries.

GBF Target 21 — Data and information: Addressed. Operationalised through the DBMF (Annex 2), which integrates the 26 KMGBF headline indicators with domestic indicators against a 2011–2020 baseline and reports in 2026 and 2029. Supporting infrastructure includes the Open Science and Data Platform (150,000+ records), NRCan's National Forest Inventory and Information System, DFO's eDNA laboratory (launched early 2024) and AIS spatial data (by 2027), CFIA's Canadian Plant Health Information System (by 2024), and the RADARSAT Constellation Mission. Headline indicator 21.1 is classified "not existing/requires development."

GBF Target 22 — Inclusive participation: Addressed. Over 100,000 km² of Indigenous-led PAs and OECMs have been established. Delivery is governed by the UN Declaration Act and its 2023–2028 Action Plan (181 measures), FPIC, and Section 35 constitutional rights. Instruments include distinctions-based Indigenous Nature Tables, Parks Canada's co-designed Indigenous Stewardship Policy, the Environment and Climate Change Youth Council, GBA Plus, the Accessible Canada Act (barrier-free Canada by 2040), PC's Accessibility Action Plan (2022–2025), the MMIWG National Action Plan, and GAC's "Voices at Risk" guidance on Environmental Human Rights Defenders. A "one-window strategic partnership approach" is under development.

GBF Target 23 — Gender equality: Addressed. The 2030 Strategy itself underwent GBA Plus analysis. The Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP) commits 15% of bilateral ODA to specifically target gender equality and 80% to integrate it, applied to biodiversity investments including the $1B climate finance NBS envelope. FSDS 2022–2026 Chapter 5 (Canadian women's participation in environment and clean tech) is championed by ECCC. The federal government commits to identify indicators to measure diversity and inclusion in biodiversity decision-making, to review data methodologies for intersectional disaggregation, and to continue facilitating adoption of the CBD Gender Plan of Action.