Protecting Canada’s nature and biodiversity requires robust conversations, say environmental leaders, warning that pitting the environment against the economy stands to delay progress.

As political parties shape their platforms ahead of an expected spring election, polls show that forest, marine, and wildlife preservation resonates with a broad spectrum of Canadians, largely transcending partisan politics. A recent survey by EKOS for Nature Canada found that two-thirds of respondents would be less likely to support a party that had no commitment to safeguarding nature and wildlife resources.

Those results showed that even amid affordability concerns, “there’s a strong desire to see parties do more to protect forests and other natural areas,” Michael Polanyi, Nature Canada’s policy and campaign manager, told The Energy Mix.

Misinformation and the Need for Dialogue

But Canadians are also concerned about the long-term stability of their communities, especially when nature protection is seen as incompatible with activities like hunting and fishing. These misconceptions are widespread, Sandra Schwartz, national executive director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) told The Mix.

“There’s an assumption: you build a park, you can’t hunt. That’s not true,” Schwartz said. “There’s a lot of misinformation being generated by fear instead of understanding.”

In early 2024, CPAWS conducted internal market research with focus groups, hoping to gain insights on the best ways to protect nature, especially with those who are directly impacted.

People from several coastal communities across Canada participated, creating an opportunity for them to ask questions about the many ways protected areas can be managed.

“What was super interesting coming out of these focus groups was people wanted to continue talking,” Schwartz said. “So when we were done the focus groups, people would say, ‘is anyone interested in going down the street to the pub and continuing the conversation?’”

It’s not that people don’t understand the negative impacts of nature loss, Schwartz said: it’s the tension between nature use and protection that tends to create division.

“It’s causing many people to disengage or feel uncertain regarding what actions to take, and is actually driving them to retreat into their echo chambers.”

This becomes a barrier to finding common understanding around solutions, Schwartz said.

Nature Protection is ‘Bigger Than Partisan Politics’

Shaughn McArthur, associate director of government relations with Nature United, said that in Canada, the appetite for working on solutions isn’t owned by any one party.

“We should stop classifying people into what is an overly simplistic left-right dichotomization,” he said. “It’s much bigger than partisan politics, and it’s much bigger than even the national economy.”

The companies and communities that work with Nature United understand they need to turn a corner and that “doing right by nature is smart business,” McArthur added.

“Especially in Canada’s vital land-based productive sectors like agriculture and forestry where we’ve seen devastating floods and droughts and forest fires.”

Talking to farmers is critical, McArthur said, because they’ve tested things and have data showing what helps resist and bounce back faster from extreme weather patterns.

The Economic Case for Conservation

Preserving nature not only protects ecosystems but can also generate economic returns. A Nature United report last year revealed that investments in natural climate solutions can yield more than $21 for every $1 spent. However, realizing these benefits will require new financial models and policies.

On the other hand, when preserving nature is positioned as coming at the expense of something else, it may seem as if nature is “inconvenient to the bottom line,” Dr. Justina Ray, president of Wildlife Conservation Society Canada told The Mix. “But protecting the environment and combating climate change is not a luxury, and the more we let it go, the more expensive and challenging it will be to resolve.”

Call for Coordinated Action

Ray added that the “business as usual” approach has been failing, and moving towards a different system is critical. It will require much more coordination between governments, and between departments, for “more coherent” policy-making.

“We have to be thinking very deliberately about the next generation and understand the linkages between these trends of degradation and biodiversity loss which are becoming more evident all the time.”

“With biodiversity declining at unprecedented rates worldwide, Canada stands at an important crossroads,” Ray wrote in an essay last month for The Conversation. “But ambition on paper must now translate into real, coordinated action.”