Conservation Canada

Canada contains much of the planet’s boreal forest—an ecosystem found only in high northern latitudes—as well as the world’s longest shoreline, which borders the Pacific, Arctic, and Atlantic oceans.

With effective protections in place, Canada can emerge as a global leader in safeguarding nature and supporting Indigenous-led conservation.

Through the conservation Canada project, The Pew Charitable Trusts works with in-country organizations, Indigenous leaders, and policymakers to conserve ocean areas and the boreal forest, and to protect the health of marine and terrestrial habitats for the benefit of residents and others who depend on these ecosystems.

Pew also works alongside Indigenous communities, philanthropists, and other partners to advance conservation in Canada through the Enduring Earth collaboration, and supports Indigenous-led conservation efforts through the Blue Nature Alliance partnership. In addition, through Pew’s international fisheries and ocean governance projects, the organization is engaging with Canada as it works to protect rich and diverse global marine life.

Recent Work

Four people stand on a muddy riverbank around a folding table. Two of those people are measuring and tagging young salmon.
'We Are Known As the Salmon People'

The people of Pabineau First Nation (PFN) have lived along the banks of the Nepisiguit River since time immemorial—as they say—in what is now the province of New Brunswick, Canada.

Indigenous Organization to Lead Boreal Forest Conservation

A steady breeze carries the smell of smoking goose and beaver meat to a circle of people gathered on the shore of lake Pekuakami on a brilliant mid-June day in the Ilnu community of Mashteuiatsh, Quebec. The group is sharing stories about working together, some for more than two decades, on a campaign to conserve the lands and waters of the boreal forest in Canada.

A man in a winter hat and sunglasses kneels on a rocky shoreline in front of a campfire, holding a metal mug with gloved hands. Behind him, in the water, a motorboat is moored to the shore. Cliffs rise on both sides of the water.
Why Newfoundland’s South Coast Fjords Are Sacred

First Nations have lived in what is now known as Canada since long before the country was established. In recent years, as part of what’s known as Reconciliation, the government of Canada has begun restoring rights and autonomy to many Indigenous communities. In the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, the South Coast Fjords area is among the most productive marine environments in Atlantic Canada. Among the priorities of the Miawpukek First Nation (MFN) and Qalipu First Nation (QFN) is to protect these economically, culturally, and historically valuable lands and waters that supported their ancestors and still support their way of life.

Illustration of a ship using fishing sonar
On-Demand Fishing Systems Need to Use a Common Language

Marine animals, including critically endangered North Atlantic right whales, can die after becoming entangled in fishing gear, particularly the ropes that connect pots and traps on the seafloor to buoys on the surface. To help solve this problem, gear developers have created “on-demand” or “ropeless” fishing gear that require fewer ropes, reducing the risk to marine creatures. This type of gear uses global positioning systems (GPS) or acoustic marking technology instead of buoys at the water’s surface to mark the locations of traps.

Coral and redfish
New Canada Refuge Protects Deep-Water Corals

On World Oceans Day, June 8, the Government of Canada announced the establishment of the Eastern Canyons Marine Refuge, an area of 43,976 square kilometres (about 17,000 square miles) off the coast of Nova Scotia.

Media Contact

Christine Fletcher

Senior Officer, Communications

202.540.6908