A view of the vast mountain forests of Jasper National Park from Overland Mountain Lodge at the eastern edge of the Alberta park/Jennifer Bain

Canada has pledged to join the Bonn Challenge, a global initiative aimed at bringing 350 million hectares of degraded and deforested landscapes under restoration by 2030.

The announcement was made Dec. 12 at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal, which is convening partners around the world to call for greater collaboration toward addressing the dual crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. Conserving nature and halting rapid biodiversity loss is essential to combating climate change and building resilience to its impacts.

The Government of Canada is making an initial pledge of about 19 million hectares through federal programs managed by Environment and Climate Change Canada, Parks Canada and Natural Resources Canada that support on-the-ground landscape and ecosystem restoration activities, including the 2 Billion Trees program.

Parks Canada has nearly 40 years of experience using prescribed fire. To address the impacts of climate change and historic fire exclusion, Parks Canada is using prescribed fire to restore and maintain ecological integrity in fire-adapted ecosystems and to reduce the risk of wildfire to communities and infrastructure.

Canada is one of a few countries with large, healthy natural ecosystems. Its ecosystems — like forests, wetlands, peatlands and prairies— are an important part of Canadians’ heritage and are key elements of their future prosperity and well-being. The restoration of ecosystems and landscapes is a powerful nature-based solution to address climate change and bring back habitat for wildlife.

Building on the momentum from COP15 and working together with provincial, territorial and Indigenous partners and other stakeholders, the Canadian government taking a holistic approach to restore degraded landscapes, protect and conserve nature and biodiversity, and improve human and community well-being effectively and equitably.

“By working together, we can address the alarming decline in biodiversity and fight climate change at the same time,” Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, said in a news release. “Announcing Canada’s pledge to the Bonn Challenge at COP15 is a critical step to position Canada at the forefront of efforts toward halting and reversing nature loss.”

The Bonn Challenge was launched by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Government of Germany in 2011 to foster momentum toward and raise the importance of landscape restoration. It promotes nature-based climate solutions, the restoration of ecological functions and the enhancement of human well-being.

It strives to bring 350 million hectares (Mha) of degraded and deforested landscapes under restoration by 2030 using a continuum of restorative activities (from enhancement of protected areas to active ecosystem management and rehabilitation of degraded areas). Meeting this goal would result in removing 13 to 26 Gt of CO2 from the atmosphere and generating $9 trillion USD in ecosystem services by 2030.

There are now 75 pledges to the Bonn Challenge from 62 countries for a total global pledge of almost 230 Mha. Other pledging countries include the United States (15 Mha).