David Suzuki Foundation attending to help hold governments accountable for halting and reversing nature loss by 2030 and achieving full recovery by 2050

VANCOUVER | Traditional unceded territories of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-waututh) First Nations — With the UN biodiversity Conference of the Parties (COP15) set for December 7 to 19 in Montreal, the David Suzuki Foundation will have nature and biodiversity experts on-site and monitoring from elsewhere in Canada.

The Foundation will consider COP15 a success if:

  • The world agrees to stop biodiversity loss on land and ocean and restore the damage.
  • Canada agrees to recognize the authoritative voices of Indigenous Peoples.
  • Canada follows global standards of accountability and recognizes local Indigenous leadership when using nature-based solutions.
  • The people of Canada urge world leaders to agree on a biodiversity framework and demand our national, provincial and territorial leaders follow through at home.

David Suzuki Foundation spokespeople for COP15 include:

  • Jay Ritchlin (ENG), director general for Western Canada and director of nature programs: forests, fisheries, nature-based solutions, land use, mining, pesticides.
  • Sabaa Khan (FR and ENG), director general for Quebec and Atlantic Canada, and director of climate programs: pesticides, environmental justice, pollution (chemical and plastic), carbon offsets.
  • Melissa Mollen Dupuis (FR and ENG), forest campaign manager: Indigenous protected and conserved areas, mobilization, forests, boreal caribou, forest ambassadors project.
  • Severn Cullis-Suzuki (FR and ENG), executive director: experience with international UN climate conferences, youth mobilization, Indigenous representation.
  • Clarissa Samson (ENG), nature-based solutions campaign economist lead: nature-based solutions, climate interface, ecological economics.
  • Catherine Hallmich (FR and ENG), senior science project manager: urban greening, climate adaptation.
  • Kilian Stehfest (ENG), marine conservation specialist: oceans, marine protected areas, aquaculture, fisheries.
  • Lisa Gue (ENG and FR), national policy manager: pesticide and plastic reduction targets, federal policy.

Quotes:

“Canada is positioned as a world leader at NatureCOP. But for this to be true, we must follow through with halting and reversing nature loss at home. Many forests, oceans, coastlines, wetlands and prairies in Canada need to be restored. Following the lead of Indigenous Peoples, it’s possible for Canada to create a just, resilient and culturally and biologically diverse future, while resetting our relationship with nature and restoring the damage done.”

– Jay Ritchlin, director general for Western Canada and director of nature programs

“In 2019, a UN-sponsored report (from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) recognized that Indigenous-led protected areas were the healthiest in the world. Today, after the pandemic showed how fragile our economic systems and infrastructures are, Canada must engage in a restorative approach to our natural relationship, and not accept irreversible biodiversity loss just to keep fossil fuels burning. It’s time to incorporate Indigenous ways of thinking about our relationships to biodiversity.”

– Melissa Mollen Dupuis, forest campaign manager

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For more information or a media interview, please contact:

Brendan Glauser: bglauser@davidsuzuki.org, (604) 356-8829 (in Vancouver)
Charles Bonhomme (FR): cbonhomme@davidsuzuki.org, (438) 883-8348 (in Montreal)
Back up (FR), Cyrielle Maison: cmaison@davidsuzuki.org, (514) 444-8119 (in Montreal)