Surrounded on three sides by ocean, Canada has the world’s longest coastline, home to a wealth of biodiversity in a variety of marine habitats. The federal government has agreed to protect 25 per cent of its waters by 2025 and, after signing the Kunming-Montreal Agreement at COP15, 30 per cent by 2030. How will they do this? By designating Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) or other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs). © Scott Veirs, beamreach.org/Marine Photobank   Both MPAs and OECMs have the same essential result — conserving biodiversity by protecting species, habitats and e ..read more

Happy Oceans Month! To celebrate, we’re sharing the top 10 biggest ocean conservation wins of the past year. Though the tides are changing thanks to the support of ocean advocates across the country, we’re not going to start coasting now. Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) feeding in the coastal waters near Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada. © WWF-Canada / Chad Graham1. 30×30 The Kunming-Montreal Agreement, adopted at COP15, included several targets to halt and reverse nature loss. Among them was the crucial 30×30 commitment made by nearly 200 countries to protect 30 per cent of na ..read more

Ever watch a storm from a street-facing window and see rivers of rain running down driveways and roads? If you have a yard, have you noticed water pooling in a low spot in your lawn? The reason for this accumulation of rainwater is the “greying” of urban landscapes and the increase in extreme weather events from climate change. As we develop more land for housing and industry, we create more concrete, roofs and other impervious surfaces where there once were plants and trees. Rain Garden Shell Park, Oakville, Ontario © Catriona Berry / WWF-Canada So, instead of being absorbed, rainwater runs o ..read more

A seed garden is simply a group of native plants grown with the goal of harvesting their seeds, the way someone would grow vegetables with the goal of harvesting food. But why would you want to produce seed in the first place? One great reason is that by increasing the supply of native plant seeds, you’re taking an important step towards restoring habitat for birds, bees and other wildlife. WWF-Canada has a goal to regenerate Canada by restoring at least 1 million hectares of wildlife habitat by 2030 —  and you can help! Harvesting seeds from native plants © Ben Watt-Meyer Our new native ..read more

Bicoloured sweat bee on a New England Aster © Sara Shettleworth Think carefully: how many kinds of bees can you name? Bumble bee, honeybee… any others? There are an astounding 800 or so species of native bees in Canada alone! Imagine all the new bee acquaintances you could meet right outside your door. Take the bicoloured sweat bee (Agapostemon virescens), which is metallic green towards its front end and boldly striped on its back half. Across southern Canada, you can find these small bees visiting flowers — notably asters — and nesting communally underground. It was declared Toronto’s “Offic ..read more

Across Canada, bees, flies, moths, butterflies, wasps, some beetles and even hummingbirds depend on flowering plants for food. These plants, in turn, are dependent on to carry their pollen from plant to plant so they can reproduce. We, of course, also depend on this pollination process for fruits, vegetables and other flowering plants that help support ecosystems. It’s really a win-win-win. Or it should be. Native plant garden, at Edwards Gardens, in Toronto, Canada © Sarah Pietrkiewicz Sadly, pollinator population size and diversity is on the decline due to habitat loss, invasive species, pes ..read more

I first fell in love with birds while watching colorful warblers and musical sparrows migrating through Point Pelee National Park on the southernmost tip of Canada. My family’s annual tradition is visiting the park’s wetlands, forests and shorelines to see these tiny songbirds rest and refuel during their spring migration from as far away as South America. Black-throated green warbler © Sarah Pietrkiewicz Thousands of people flock to this park to watch them finish crossing up to 200 kilometers of Lake Erie, a long distance for an animal weighing just 15 to 20 grams, or the equivalent of a few ..read more

Manitoba ecozones © WWF-Canada May 12 is Manitoba Day! What better way to mark it than by exploring the province’s rugged and beautiful native plants — and how you can help expand their populations. What do you picture when you think about Manitoba? Fields of wheat on endless prairies? Polar bears skulking around a small town? But what about vast boreal forests, the Canadian Shield and a mountain higher than Ontario’s tallest? Manitoba’s, yes, varied landscapes and ecosystems can be divided into five distinct ecozones. And the province’s biodiversity includes more than 600 mammal, bird and fis ..read more

The bobolink is in crisis. The migratory songbird thrives in meadows, grasslands and fields. Decades of degradation and fragmentation of their habitats across the country have left the bird with fewer and fewer places to roost and forage. Canada’s bobolink populations have declined by more than 70 per cent in just 50 years. Yet the bobolink could be as common as coveralls on Canada’s farmlands. Adult male Bobolink in the Outaouais region. © Jean-Marc Emery On Victor Drury’s cattle farm in the rolling hills of Quebec’s Outaouais region, a few simple changes are giving the bobolink a boost. Afte ..read more

Canadian farmland is used to grow the crops and raise the livestock that feed us. It is essential. But much like in cities, land development has conventionally displaced wildlife habitats. ALUS, a farmer- and rancher-led non-profit, offers farmers sustainable and nature-friendly project opportunities that facilitate habitat and ecological restoration on agricultural lands across the country. ALUS CEO and farmer Bryan Gilvesy standing in his pasture. © ALUS And we’re helping to make this happen by supporting ALUS projects in five regions in Ontario and Quebec through our Nature and Climate Gran ..read more