Photos: Ryan Stone (panorama), Elena Elisseeva (lake), iStock (kelp) 

What are nature-based climate solutions? 

Nature-based climate solutions (NBCS) refer to strategies that work with nature by protecting, managing, or restoring natural ecosystems to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change while supporting biodiversity⁴.

For instance, in northern Manitoba, Indigenous nations are leading efforts to protect a vast wild landscape, the Seal River Watershed. This area, rich in wildlife and cultural values, stores the equivalent of eight years’ worth of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions in its soils, wetlands and peatlands!

Working with nature to help nature – a win-win deal –is more and more often seen as vital to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and adapt to climate change impacts globally. 

Now that we know what nature-based solutions are, let’s look at how protected areas fit into this approach. 🌲 🌳 

Why are protected areas an excellent strategy for climate action? 

Canada is home to some of the world’s most carbon-dense ecosystems.  

These ecosystems store massive amounts of carbon in vegetation, soils, and/or sediments. The map below shows the amount of stored carbon by ecozones, with the greatest stores of carbon being in the Hudson Bay Lowlands.     

Map: Dr Risa B. Smith 

By protecting more of the carbon-dense ecosystems we can prevent harmful developments that would cause massive amounts of carbon to be released from vegetation and soils into the atmosphere. Studies show that ecosystems within protected areas store more carbon and take more CO₂ out of the atmosphere than areas outside of protected areas^{5 6}.

Furthermore, protected areas, such as national parks, Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs), and marine protected areas (MPAs), make nature more resilient to climate change, as they provide refuges for wildlife and allow endangered species a chance to recover. 🦌 

Unfortunately, carbon-dense ecosystems in Canada are underrepresented in our current portfolio of protected areas, leaving most of these areas vulnerable to development pressures.

The map below shows that many regions of Canada have both high carbon density and high biodiversity, demonstrating how important it is to protect them. Here lies the great potential. Expanding protection to areas that have high biodiversity and high carbon values could make a huge contribution towards reaching Canada’s 30% by 2030 land and ocean protection commitment while also contributing to Canada’s emission reduction targets. 

Here are just two examples: ^{7 8} 🌳 

This map shows the overlap between carbon-richness in ecosystems and the ‘proactive biodiversity index’—i.e. a suite of measures indicating the significance of biodiversity in an area⁹. 

Indigenous knowledge and reconciliation must be at the heart of this work 🪶 

In the past, Indigenous Peoples were often displaced from their lands in the name of conservation. However, there is now a growing recognition that Indigenous Peoples play an essential role in protecting ecosystems and mitigating climate change. 

Recognizing and respecting Indigenous rights, responsibilities and self-determination, and ensuring inclusive decision-making and free, prior and informed consent are crucial in all efforts to protect land, freshwater and ocean. Indigenous knowledge systems, legal traditions, and cultural practices offer valuable insights and contributions to conservation and climate action.  

What does Canada need to do? Policy recommendations for climate action📜 

CPAWS has several policy recommendations that will help Canada to realize the full potential of protected areas in our climate strategy.  

These recommendations focus on ensuring the effective protection of carbon-dense ecosystems while also respecting Indigenous rights and contributing to broader climate and biodiversity goals. 

A couple of key recommendations include:  

To see the full list of policy recommendations, please take a look at our Policy Brief.

Photo: Cathedral Grove, MacMillan Provincial Park, Vancouver Island by Ferenc 

Conclusion 

There are many actions that Canada needs to take to meet its 2030 emission reduction goals. Nature-based solutions, especially those involving the protection of ecosystems that are rich in carbon and biodiversity, must be on that list.  

By expanding protected areas and making sure Indigenous leadership plays a central role in conservation efforts, Canada can make real strides toward meeting both its climate and biodiversity goals. This approach doesn’t just help with reducing emissions nationally and globally; it also supports the health of ecosystems and communities, setting us on a path to a more climate-resilient future. 

With the right policies, investments, and partnerships, Canada can lead the way in using protected areas as a powerful tool for climate action. ☁️ 

So, now you have the basics about how protected areas are a key strategy for climate action. Do you feel even more passionate about protecting our beautiful landscapes, lakes, rivers, coastlines and ocean?  💚💙 

Let your elected officials know that you want them to protect more of our natural spaces by reminding them of our policy recommendations! ✍️ 

Sources: 

1. Government of Canada. Net-zero emissions by 2050 – ↩︎
2. Government of Canada. Protecting nature: Canada’s story – ↩︎
3. Smith, Risa B. Protected Areas as a Nature-based Climate Solution – ↩︎
4. Government of Canada. Nature-based climate solutions – ↩︎
5. Hayashi, M., Van Der Kamp, G. et Rudolph, D. L. Water and solute transfer between a prairie wetland and adjacent uplands – ↩︎
6. Graham, V. et coll. Southeast Asian protected areas are effective in conserving forest cover and forest carbon stocks compared to unprotected areas – ↩︎
7. Drever, C. R. et al. Natural climate solutions for Canada – ↩︎
8. Harris, L. I. et al. The essential carbon service provided by northern peatlands – ↩︎
9. Soto-Navarro, C. et al. Mapping co-benefits for carbon storage and biodiversity to inform conservation policy and action – ↩︎

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