May 2014 update: the National Conservation Plan is now online . It features a $252 million investment in protection, restoration and connection with natural areas.
The federal government has started work on a National Conservation Plan. Chances are, they are thinking primarily of a “nature conservation” plan, however the government is asking for submissions on the scope, goals, and content of the plan.
From the June, 2011 Throne Speech:
- “Looking to the future, our Government will engage a broad range of stakeholders on the development of a National Conservation Plan, to move our conservation objectives forward and better connect all Canadians with nature.”
The House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development is undertaking a study to provide recommendations to the Minister of the Environment to help develop the National Conservation Plan (NCP) by consulting with a range of stakeholder groups, summarizing the Committee’s view on what the NCP should entail based on these consultations, and recommending avenues of further consultation for the Minister of the Environment.
The scope of the study was as follows:
- at should be the purpose of a NCP?
- What should be the goals of a NCP?
- What guiding principles should govern a NCP?
- What conservation priorities should be included in a NCP?
- What should be the implementation priorities of a NCP?
- What consultation process should the Minister consider using when developing a NCP?
The Committee released its report in June 2012. As expected, the focus is exclusively on nature conservation, and the report says that the National Conservation Plan is closely linked to the National Sustainable Development Strategy.