This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Nearly 200 countries recently came together in Armenia for the 2026 United Nations Biodiversity Conference to review progress toward halting and reversing biodiversity loss. Many of these governments will soon convene again in Turkey to discuss efforts to tackle climate change at COP31.
In 2022, parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity adopted the Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework aimed at reversing biodiversity loss by 2030 and putting nature on a path to recovery by 2050. An early review of the first 36 national plans found that none had created a plan that fully met two targets: to restore 30% of degraded ecosystems, and to conserve 30% of lands and waters, by 2030. By the end of 2025, Canada had conserved only 14% of its land and fresh water and 15% of its oceans.
In 2025, the federal environment commissioner found that the government was not on track to meet its interim target of 25% by 2025, a target it went on to miss. A companion audit reached the same conclusion for oceans. As a party to the biodiversity convention, Canada has a responsibility to conserve its wilderness, irrecoverable carbon, intact forests and lakes.
However, the Canadian government is also pursuing infrastructure and resource development, with plans to fast-track approvals for major projects and build "at speeds not seen in generations." It has also made significant cuts to public science and faced criticism over cuts to public engagement and consultation, as well as access to information. We recently published a study on how environmental research informs policy and practice through knowledge co-production. We interviewed 84 senior environmental professionals working at the science–policy interface across Canada, including federal, provincial and territorial governments and environmental nonprofit organizations.
We asked how environment-related evidence informs decisions and what enables or hinders knowledge co-production with a wide range of partners. Canada faces a critical moment to show that rapid infrastructure growth does not have to come at the expense of nature and biodiversity goals. Doing so will require the deliberate use of the best available evidence to inform decisions.
Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. d research that matter—daily or weekly. It will also require inclusive, collaborative governance rooted in trust, early relationship-building and sustained cooperation among governments, academia, nongovernmental organizations and Indigenous and local communities. The biodiversity framework commits countries to integrate biodiversity into decision-making at all levels, ensure that access to the best available data and knowledge guides action and guarantee inclusive, equitable participation and representation in governance.
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