A NATIONAL CALL TO ACTION FOR WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

 According to the latest World Wildlife Fund Canada Living Planet Report Canada 2025, wildlife populations are declining at the fastest rate recorded since reporting began nearly two decades ago. 

“Conservation actions cannot succeed in isolation,” said Gráinne McCabe, Chief Conservation Officer at the Wilder Institute. “Real progress happens when Indigenous Nations, communities, researchers, landowners, governments, conservation organizations, corporate supporters, and others work together. By aligning efforts across landscapes and regions, we can move beyond protecting habitat alone and actively support species recovery.”  

From Coast to Coast: Collaborative Action in 2025 

In 2025, conservation efforts advanced across Canada’s diverse landscapes, demonstrating that inclusive, collaborative action can deliver meaningful results. Working alongside Indigenous leaders, academic institutions, community partners, NGOs, and corporate supporters, conservation teams strengthened habitats and supported species at risk across the country.  

On the east coast, our field teams worked in collaboration with regional partners in Newfoundland and Labrador, completing their first full season supporting the limestone barrens ecosystem. Together, they removed legacy debris, managed invasive species, and re-established native plant communities. These joint efforts are essential to the recovery of three endangered plants found nowhere else in the world: Long’s Braya (Braya longii), Fernald’s Braya (Braya fernaldii) and Barrens Willow (Salix jejuna).  

On the west coast, a partnership with the Marmot Recovery Foundation and Vancouver Island University enabled field-testing of a refined remote weigh scale to monitor Vancouver Island marmots with limited human interaction. This collaborative innovation reduces stress while improving health monitoring, supporting the long-term recovery of this critically endangered species 

In Alberta, home of the Archibald Biodiversity Centre, conservation breeding and species recovery efforts continued through long-standing partnerships. Two whooping crane chicks — ‘Klewi’ and ‘Fitz’— hatched on Whooping Crane Day, May 28, marking the first chicks to hatch at the facility. In collaboration with the International Crane Foundation, the chicks were later transferred to White Oak Conservation in Florida, where their future offspring will help support the recovery of this iconic species across North America. This progress is made possible through valued program partners Canadian Natural, ConocoPhillips Canada, and Pembina Pipeline Corporation, whose sustained investment directly contributes to long-term species recovery through our Whooping Crane Recovery Program. 

In Ontario, a partnership with Magnetawan First Nation built on the Nation’s long-standing freshwater turtle conservation efforts. This collaboration led to the creation of The Kinship Program: Wildlife, People, Place, grounded in Indigenous knowledge and community priorities. This program became the first official initiative under the Wilder Canada Action Plan. With support from Keyera, the first official funder of the Wilder Canada Action Plan, this work is helping advance species-at-risk recovery and conservation priorities across Canada. 

Across regions, landscapes, and knowledge systems, one principle remained constant: conservation is most effective when it is collaborative, locally grounded, and nationally aligned. The progress seen in 2025 reflects what is possible when coordinated action replaces fragmented effort. 

The Year Ahead: From Momentum to Action   

The past year demonstrated that recovery is achievable when partners align around shared goals. Habitat restoration, conservation breeding, technological innovation, and community-led stewardship all contribute to slowing and reversing biodiversity loss. 

The next step is scaling this model. Through the Wilder Canada Action Plan, partners across the country can build a coordinated framework to support active species recovery, including conservation translocations and capacity-building within communities. By connecting local leadership with national strategy, the plan is designed to ensure species receive the intervention they need before declines become irreversible. 

Meeting Canada’s commitments to halt biodiversity loss will require sustained collaboration, Indigenous leadership, shared expertise, and coordinated government action. Protecting nature is not a luxury. It is an investment in environmental resilience, economic well-being, and our shared responsibility to future generations.  

The success of the Wilder Canada Action Plan depends on strong public awareness and support. By working together, Canadians can secure a future where wildlife and people thrive, and where nature continues to shape our identity and our future.  To learn how you can help advance species recovery across Canada, visit wilderinstitute.org.