Canada’s wildlife is under mounting pressure from habitat loss, climate change, and development, prompting conservation groups to issue a national call for coordinated action to protect and recover species across the country.The latest World Wildlife Fund Canada Living Planet Report Canada 2025 shows wildlife populations are declining at the fastest rate since tracking began nearly 20 years ago, underscoring the urgency for aligned conservation efforts.“Conservation actions cannot succeed in isolation,” said Gráinne McCabe, Chief Conservation Officer at the Wilder Institute in Calgary. “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.”Across Canada in 2025, collaborative initiatives yielded tangible results. In Newfoundland and Labrador, field teams worked with local partners to restore limestone barrens habitats, removing debris, managing invasive species, and re-establishing native plants essential to the survival of three endangered species found nowhere else: Long’s Braya, Fernald’s Braya, and Barrens Willow.On Vancouver Island, researchers partnered with the Marmot Recovery Foundation and Vancouver Island University to test a remote weigh scale for monitoring critically endangered Vancouver Island marmots, reducing stress on the animals while improving health tracking..Alberta’s Archibald Biodiversity Centre celebrated the hatching of two whooping crane chicks, ‘Klewi’ and ‘Fitz,’ on May 28. These birds were later transferred to White Oak Conservation in Florida to support long-term recovery efforts. Sustained support from corporate partners including Canadian Natural, ConocoPhillips Canada, and Pembina Pipeline Corporation has allowed the Whooping Crane Recovery Program to expand its impact.In Ontario, a partnership with the Magnetawan First Nation led to The Kinship Program: Wildlife, People, Place, the first official initiative under the Wilder Canada Action Plan. Grounded in indigenous knowledge, the program advances species-at-risk recovery and strengthens community-led stewardship with support from Keyera, the plan’s first funder.The Wilder Institute emphasizes that conservation is most effective when locally grounded, nationally aligned, and inclusive of indigenous leadership. The 2025 successes demonstrate that coordinated action can deliver measurable gains for species and ecosystems.Looking ahead, the Wilder Canada Action Plan aims to scale collaborative conservation across the country, using habitat restoration, breeding programs, technological innovation, and community engagement to reverse biodiversity loss. Meeting Canada’s commitments to halt wildlife decline will require ongoing coordination between governments, Indigenous leadership, and public support, alongside sustainable corporate contributions.Protecting nature, the institute says, is not a luxury but a strategic spend in environmental resilience, economic well-being, and responsibility to future generations. Canadians are encouraged to participate in species recovery efforts through the Wilder Institute.
