Here is a brief look at a few of the recommendations in this year\u2019s report that aim to conserve our wildlife and the habitats they call home.<\/p>\n
Conserving Canada\u2019s Birds<\/h3>\n![\"sandhill](\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/sandhill-cranes-GettyImages-108129163-1100x640.jpg\")
Canada has lost 40 to 60 per cent of our grassland birds, shorebirds and aerial insectivores.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nBirds are a beautiful and beloved sight across every Canadian habitat. But did you know that Canada\u2019s 451 native bird species also help to keep our ecosystems and economy running smoothly? Sadly, many bird species<\/a> are suffering steep population declines due primarily to habitat loss in Canada and Latin America. To date, Canada has lost 40 to 60 per cent of our grassland birds, shorebirds and aerial insectivores. That\u2019s why CWF strongly supports the GBC recommendations on investments to help birds, including protecting important habitats and migration sites; working to restore populations for aerial insectivores, grassland birds and shorebirds; and furthering key science, research and conservation initiatives.<\/p>\nWildlife Collision Reporting System<\/h3>\n
![\"snapping](\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Snapping-Turtle-Nesting-on-Road-Shoulder-1100x640.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Wildlife-vehicle collisions are on the rise, impacting endangered species and incurring significant medical and environmental costs. The GBC recommends developing and implementing a national wildlife collision reporting system whose data can be used to implement collision mitigation measures. CWF is helping push this recommendation because collisions are a major issue for many of the species we are working to conserve. For example, our turtle program<\/a> has been identifying road crossing hotspots and working to get fencing and underpasses in place to keep turtles and drivers safe.<\/p>\nAquaculture<\/h3>\n![\"aquaculture](\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/aquaculture-nova-scotia-GettyImages-1085649900-1100x640.jpg\")
Additional investments would help to ensure the aquaculture industry does not harm ocean health or infringe on Indigenous rights.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAquaculture is the farming of fish species in net pens or cages that float in the ocean and are open to the natural environment. CWF has taken a strong stance against open-pen finfish aquaculture<\/a> because of its significant impacts on fish and fish habitat. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans established a Sustainable Aquaculture Program to address some of the concerns around aquaculture and its sustainability, but the GBC recommends expanding and improving the program. Additional investments would help to ensure the aquaculture industry does not harm ocean health or infringe on Indigenous rights.<\/p>\nSustainable Agriculture<\/h3>\n![\"High-clearance](\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/canola-fields-canada-pollinator-pesticide-1100x640.jpg\")
High-clearance sprayer working a canola field in Canada.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWe need robust and resilient food systems to feed the world\u2019s growing population in the face of climate change, but we need to achieve this without jeopardizing wildlife. Fortunately, we believe that Canada has the potential to become a world leader in environmentally sustainable agriculture<\/a>. To help us get there, CWF has been a lead author on the sustainable agriculture recommendations for the past three years. CWF and the GBC are recommending strategic investments in programs to support wildlife and habitat conservation<\/a> on farmland and to reduce the impacts of farming practices such as pesticide use on pollinators and other wildlife.<\/p>\nThis is just a sample of the many thorough and essential recommendations from the Green Budget Coalition. We\u2019re off to a great start; the Government of Canada has already made significant investments and commitments towards a more sustainable future, but there is more to be done. Take a look at the full Recommendations for Budget 2020<\/a> report and let us know your thoughts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"How can the 2020 federal budget support wildlife? In the past, Canada\u2019s wildlife and habitats were easily overlooked in the federal budget. To give a voice to our country\u2019s wild…<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":6909,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[636,631,642,6,638,637],"tags":[141,8220,649],"class_list":["post-6906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coasts-oceans","category-connect-with-nature","category-education","category-endangered-species","category-fields-forests","category-lakes-rivers","tag-government-of-canada","tag-green-budget-coalition","tag-policy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/107"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6906"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6906\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6934,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6906\/revisions\/6934"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Birds are a beautiful and beloved sight across every Canadian habitat. But did you know that Canada\u2019s 451 native bird species also help to keep our ecosystems and economy running smoothly? Sadly, many bird species<\/a> are suffering steep population declines due primarily to habitat loss in Canada and Latin America. To date, Canada has lost 40 to 60 per cent of our grassland birds, shorebirds and aerial insectivores. That\u2019s why CWF strongly supports the GBC recommendations on investments to help birds, including protecting important habitats and migration sites; working to restore populations for aerial insectivores, grassland birds and shorebirds; and furthering key science, research and conservation initiatives.<\/p>\n Wildlife-vehicle collisions are on the rise, impacting endangered species and incurring significant medical and environmental costs. The GBC recommends developing and implementing a national wildlife collision reporting system whose data can be used to implement collision mitigation measures. CWF is helping push this recommendation because collisions are a major issue for many of the species we are working to conserve. For example, our turtle program<\/a> has been identifying road crossing hotspots and working to get fencing and underpasses in place to keep turtles and drivers safe.<\/p>\n Aquaculture is the farming of fish species in net pens or cages that float in the ocean and are open to the natural environment. CWF has taken a strong stance against open-pen finfish aquaculture<\/a> because of its significant impacts on fish and fish habitat. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans established a Sustainable Aquaculture Program to address some of the concerns around aquaculture and its sustainability, but the GBC recommends expanding and improving the program. Additional investments would help to ensure the aquaculture industry does not harm ocean health or infringe on Indigenous rights.<\/p>\n We need robust and resilient food systems to feed the world\u2019s growing population in the face of climate change, but we need to achieve this without jeopardizing wildlife. Fortunately, we believe that Canada has the potential to become a world leader in environmentally sustainable agriculture<\/a>. To help us get there, CWF has been a lead author on the sustainable agriculture recommendations for the past three years. CWF and the GBC are recommending strategic investments in programs to support wildlife and habitat conservation<\/a> on farmland and to reduce the impacts of farming practices such as pesticide use on pollinators and other wildlife.<\/p>\n This is just a sample of the many thorough and essential recommendations from the Green Budget Coalition. We\u2019re off to a great start; the Government of Canada has already made significant investments and commitments towards a more sustainable future, but there is more to be done. Take a look at the full Recommendations for Budget 2020<\/a> report and let us know your thoughts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Wildlife Collision Reporting System<\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nAquaculture<\/h3>\n
Sustainable Agriculture<\/h3>\n