OTTAWA,
ON, July 8, 2024 /CNW/ - Canada's biodiversity is central to our way of
life. As the human impact on the planet increases, a growing number
of habitats are lost, and more and more species are threatened with
extinction. We must take sustained and thoughtful measures to
protect and restore the wildlife and places we love.
Today, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment
and Climate Change, and the Honourable Elvis Loveless, Minister of
Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture, announced the creation of a
new priority place for species at risk, the Limestone Landscapes of
the Great Northern Peninsula Priority Place in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Priority places are areas of high biodiversity value that are
seen as a distinct place with a common ecological theme by the
people who live and work there. These places have significant
biodiversity, concentrations of species at risk, and opportunities
to advance conservation efforts. Focusing on these areas allows us
to conserve and restore habitats that benefit many species at
once.
This is the 12th priority place to be identified in Canada and the first one in the province of
Newfoundland and Labrador. The new priority place encompasses
unique ecosystems on the Great Northern Peninsula of the Island of
Newfoundland, such as limestone
barrens and outcrops; limestone coasts and islands; and limestone
highlands, forests, and wetlands that support high biodiversity.
This area provides habitats for approximately 40 federally and
provincially listed species at risk. It is also an important
stopover site for many at-risk migratory birds.
Priority places are collaborative initiatives. The Government of
Canada is working with the
Government of Newfoundland and
Labrador, as well as local First
Nations, environmental non-governmental organizations, and other
partners to support and fund on-the-ground recovery actions,
capacity building, and adaptive management within the Limestone
Landscapes of the Great Northern Peninsula Priority Place.
The Government of Canada will
continue working with all Canadians to protect and recover species
at risk and their habitats and preserve Canada's biodiversity and natural heritage for
current and future generations.
Quotes
"Collaboration is key to protecting biodiversity and species at
risk. Priority places for species at risk allow us to work with
provincial and territorial governments, Indigenous peoples, and
other Canadians to protect important habitats and unique
ecosystems, such as the Limestone Barrens found on the Great
Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland
and Labrador. Together, we can
implement effective conservation projects that help halt and
reverse biodiversity loss."
– The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and
Climate Change
"The Limestone Barrens are a unique habitat that support many
highly specialized and rare plant species that live nowhere else in
the world. The Limestone Landscapes of the Great Northern Peninsula
Priority Place will build on the important work set out in the
provincial Limestone Barrens Species at Risk Recovery Plan, which
maps the road to recovery for several at-risk species and the
conservation of many more rare species. Thank you to our federal
counterparts for sharing our vision for this very special
place."
– The Honourable Elvis Loveless, Minister of Fisheries, Forestry
and Agriculture
Quick facts
- Priority places for species at risk are identified under the
Pan-Canadian Approach to Transforming Species at Risk Conservation
in Canada. This approach shifts
from a single-species approach to conservation to one that focuses
on multiple species and ecosystems.
- Funding for priority places for species at risk was first
established under the Nature Legacy's Canada Nature Fund in 2018
and expanded under the Enhanced Nature Legacy in 2021.
- The 11 previously identified priority places for species at
risk cover nearly 30 million hectares, including two million
hectares of critical habitats for species at risk. More than 300
species at risk can be found in these places, many of which have
more than half of their range in a priority place.
- The Government of Canada is
providing $2,294,978 over three
fiscal years to Limestone Landscapes of the Great Northern
Peninsula Priority Place partners. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is contributing $1,256,550 to this initiative.
- Identifying the Limestone Landscapes as Newfoundland and Labrador's priority place will build on goals
and strategies outlined in the provincial Limestone Barrens Species
at Risk Recovery Plan, released in July
2022.
- The province's Limestone Barrens Species at Risk Recovery Plan
includes recovery measures for 10 plant species that are designated
and listed under the Endangered Species Act and identifies
critical habitats for seven species.
- In addition to the Government of Canada and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the many partners involved in the
new priority place include Miawpukek First Nation, Qalipu First
Nation, Intervale Associates Inc., the Limestone Barrens Species at
Risk Recovery Team, the Wilder Institute, the Nature Conservancy of
Canada, Memorial University, the Stewardship Association of
Municipalities, Birds Canada, and The Rooms.
Associated links
- Priority Places for Species at Risk
- Overview of the Pan-Canadian Approach to Transforming Species
at Risk Conservation in Canada
Environment and Climate Change Canada's X (Twitter) page
Environment and Climate Change Canada's Facebook page
SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada