Canada's New Conservation Strategy Offers Powerful Opportunity for Innovation

Canada has more miles of coastline than any other country and is second only to Russia in the size of its landmass. So when Canada joined 195 other countries in pledging to protect 30% of its lands and waters by 2030—a goal known as “30 by 30”—that commitment mattered on a global scale.

This spring, Canada released “A Force of Nature: Canada's Strategy to Protect Nature,” setting out the federal government’s ambition, vision, and plan. The strategy proposes an investment of CA$3.8 billion (approximately US$2.7 billion) to help meet the 30-by-30 goal.

The plan’s announcement comes at a key moment. New national security, infrastructure, and economic investments, especially in the North and Arctic regions, are accelerating decisions about land and water use in Canada. The strategy provides a framework that proposes protecting important natural places while also clarifying how responsible development can proceed in ways that respect Indigenous rights and support northern and coastal communities.

A central theme of the plan is the essential role of Indigenous leadership in the success of conservation on land and at sea.

What the strategy promises

“A Force of Nature” charts a path to raise land protections from about 14% to 30% and to increase marine protections from about 15% to 30% by 2030 (with a 28% interim target). Safeguarding important natural places and funding their long-term management can deliver benefits beyond biodiversity, including cleaner water, lower flood risk, and stronger recreation and tourism economies.

The strategy recognizes the key roles that conservation and development play in Canadian communities and society. “Nature underpins much of our economic prosperity and climate action,” the strategy reads. “It is essential to Canada’s growth, security, and nation-building. When conservation and economic activities are seen as competing priorities this risks weaker conservation outcomes and project delays. However, these goals need not be at odds.”

The strategy pledges that “Canada will integrate its nature and economic agendas to support timely development decisions while protecting nature.” It points to opportunities for science-based and data-driven planning that steers projects away from sensitive natural areas when such shifts are possible and reduces the impact of development when they are not. If applied transparently and consistently, this approach could reduce conflict and clarify expectations for all stakeholders and rights-holders about where development may proceed, where conservation is paramount, and what safeguards are required.

Around the world, conservation outcomes are strongest when communities help shape decisions, see tangible benefits, and have the capacity for stewardship and monitoring. Investments in local leadership and Indigenous knowledge can help ensure that protected and conserved areas strengthen well-being and prosperity, especially in rural, northern, and coastal regions where livelihoods and culture are closely tied to lands and waters.

For example, Indigenous Guardians—trained experts who manage lands and waters on behalf of their Nations—have a strong record of conserving nature while advancing community priorities and cultural continuity. The strategy proposes CA$231 million (approximately US$166 million) over five years to strengthen Guardians programs and launch a new Arctic Indigenous Guardians program.

The plan also leans on “other effective area-based conservation measures” (OECMs), a term that refers to places managed for long-term conservation even if they are not formally designated as protected areas. Clear management practices and transparent governance will be crucial in ensuring that OECMs meet global and national standards and that they add meaningful environmental protections.

With regard to the ocean, the strategy calls for setting aside more waters for conservation and protection, plus practical steps to reduce harm, such as removing lost or abandoned fishing gear, sometimes called ghost gear. Healthy oceans sustain fisheries, increase food security, and support ocean-based livelihoods.

The impact of “A Force of Nature” will depend on stable, long-term funding along with sustained stewardship, science, and partnerships. The strategy recommends improving ways to measure nature’s benefits and identifying new routes to pay for conservation.

What the strategy means for Pew’s work in Canada

The Pew Charitable Trusts has a long history of working in partnership with Indigenous governments and organizations, communities, and other partners to advance enduring conservation that is locally led. Much of Canada’s strategy—including its focus on Indigenous-led stewardship, the expansion of protected and conserved areas, economic development opportunities, and the strengthening of long-term resourcing for effective management—aligns with that approach.

The plan also highlights regional conservation partnerships using “project finance for permanence” (PFP), which ties long-term investment to measurable social and environmental goals. In Canada, Pew has been proud to help secure PFP agreements with Indigenous governments and many partners, including Our Land for the Future in the Northwest Territories and SINAA in Nunavut’s Qikiqtani Region. As Canada explores nature finance—innovative financial mechanisms to sustainably fund conservation—and forms an expert task force to advance this work, an opportunity exists to build on these efforts and scale approaches that provide reliable funding, clear accountability, and lasting results.

What to watch next

• How new funding programs are designed, including who can access the Canada Nature Protection Fund—a fund created to drive private-sector investment in conservation efforts—and whether it supports long-term management as well as planning and establishment.
• Which mechanisms and instruments the expert task force recommends for sustaining long-term funding to address diverse contexts and needs, and which of those options governments implement.
• What practical steps are put in place to align conservation and development and to ensure that planning avoids sensitive areas and honors Indigenous rights and self-determination.
• How long-term support for Indigenous Guardians is assured, including how the Arctic program is designed and funded.

Canada has put significant resources behind its conservation goals. The question now is whether those investments translate into real partnerships and protections that endure and support resilient communities. Pew will continue working with partners to support Indigenous-led conservation, strengthen protections for lands and waters, and advance financing and governance that can sustain results well beyond 2030.

Gretchen Tearle is the interim director of The Pew Charitable Trusts’ conservation Canada project.