#NatureforAll – Canadian Committee for IUCN

Discovering the IUCN in Canada: Ocean Wise

There are over 500 people in Canada who are actively involved with the work of the IUCN and/or the CCIUCN. Many are members in one or more IUCN Commissions. Others belong to IUCN or CCIUCN member organizations. This occasional series will highlight their IUCN-related work in Canada.

Introducing: Ocean Wise

Ocean Wise became a member of the CCIUCN in 2017.

CCIUCN activity highlights 2017

Education and communication

In April we participated in the #NatureForAll dialogue in Vancouver and welcomed the Children and Nature Conference to Vancouver Aquarium for a special evening event.
In June we launched https://ocean.org our millennial focussed public engagement portal
In July and August, we hosted the Howe Sound and Cambridge Bay scientific Bio Blitz150 events as well as contributed to the Stanley Park public engagement Bio Blitz.
In time for the National Conservation Summit in November, we were pleased to supply the #NatureForAll campaign with 1,000 pins to acknowledge and identity members and supporters.
Throughout 2017 we were pleased to submit three #NatureForAll stories relating to our Youth leadership Program, Shoreline Clean Up and Curriculum Programs.
Throughout 2017 our in person ocean education programs reached over 300,000 participants https://education.ocean.org/

Ecosystem management

In February, we released the Ocean Watch Report http://oceanwatch.ca/
Based on several years of research focusing on marine ecosystem indicators, we identified seven reporting themes. These themes taken together touch on ecological, socioeconomic, cultural, and governance aspects of ecosystem health and provide a window to the whole picture of what is happening in an area.

Species survival

Endangered

Oregon Spotted Frog (Rana pretiosa)
Participant in Amphibian Ark and member of the Oregon Spotted Frog Recovery Team. Active Oregon Spotted Frog breeding and release program.
Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates pipiens)
Participant in Amphibian Ark and member of the B.C. Northern Leopard Frog Recovery Team. Active Northern Leopard Frog breeding and release program.

Threatened

Beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas)
VA – coordinates the AZA SSP and participates in SSP. CORI – mother and calf acoustic communication studies Arctic & St. Lawrence.
Northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus)
Animals onsite are owned by UBC and are in a conservation focused research program.

Special concern

Beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas)
Coordinate and participate in SSP
Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena vomerina)
Research and Marine Mammal Rescue rehab and release
Seat otter (Enhydra lutris)
No SSP but particpate in studbook
Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus)
No SSP but involved in field research project with UBC.

Protected Areas

Ocean Bridge http://bridge.ocean.org/

During 2017 we developed our national marine conservation youth service program in collaboration with our partners Parks Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Would you like to share your IUCN-related initiatives? Contact us at cciucn@nature.ca.

CCIUCN 2018 Priority Initiative: #NatureForAll:

After hearing from members at the 2018 AGM in January, the CCIUCN Board of Directors committed to helping advance the IUCN #NatureForAll movement in Canada. Board members James Bartram (VP of Education and Youth, Ocean Wise) and Dawn Carr (Executive Director, Canadian Parks Council) are working together to help communicate and reach out to members to learn how we can better work collectively through the CCIUCN network to grow Canada’s love for nature.

The #NatureForAll movement continues to expand, with 250+ partner organizations, 55+ #NatureForAll Success Stories, and 20+ blog posts. Have a look at the latest newsletter to discover: #NatureForAll Success Stories, the #NatureForAll blog, and; #NatureForAll partner activities.

In Canada, over 30+ organizations have partnered with #NatureForAll global — many of whom are CCIUCN members — and discussions are taking place to determine how we can coordinate efforts to leverage each other’s reach and influence. If we all work together to engage Canadians in ways that foster a lifelong commitment to conservation, and communicate those efforts exponentially, we will activate #NatureForAll and shift momentum to consistently favour nature as a critical determinant of our future health and wellbeing.

Are you interested in learning more? Do you have ideas that we could act on through the CCIUCN to support #NatureForAll? We are interested in hearing from you!

Here are a few examples of recent and upcoming actions led by the CCIUCN and its members:

CCIUCN members showcased #NatureForAll initiatives with interactive displays and a special session at the IUCN Communities, Conservation and Livelihoods Conference in Halifax, May 28 to 30, 2018.
CCIUCN members are also advancing #NatureForAll through the Canada Service Corps – Youth Service Program with Canadian Wildlife Federation and Ocean Wise leading national pilots and several members are applying for regional programs.
#NatureForAll is an embedded premise of Parks For All: An Action Plan for Canada’s Parks Community, to be launched this summer, which is supported by numerous members of the CCIUCN community including the Canadian Parks Council.

Priorities for 2018

During their most recent meeting, the CCIUCN Board of Directors confirmed the following four priorities for 2018:

1) Engagement in the post-2020 Convention on Biological Diversity Strategic Plan;
2) Diminishing the biodiversity communications deficit in Canada;
3) #NatureForAll;
4) Pathway to Canada Target 1.

The Board also confirmed the following ongoing operational focus:
5) Growing the CCIUCN membership and engagement
6) Youth and Young professional engagement.

2018 Annual General Meeting and Forum

The 2018 CCIUCN Annual General Meeting and Forum was held January 18, 2018 in Ottawa. The proceedings were recorded and may be viewed below.

AGM Business Meeting

Agenda items in this video include:

Welcome and report from the Chair: activities of the past year by Nadine Crookes (on behalf of Meg Beckel)

Report from the Treasurer and Membership Committee by Brian Roberts

Report from the Youth Representatives by Shailyn Drukis

Report from the Communications Committee by Risa Smith

Report from the Nominations Chair: Election of Board of Directors by Nadine Crookes

Report from IUCN: Recent and Upcoming Highlights by Frank Hawkins, IUCN North America Office

FORUM DIALOGUE

The IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas, and
A Global Standard for the Identification of Key Biodiversity Areas: Opportunities for Canada.

Presented by Stephen Woodley, Vice Chair for Science and Biodiversity, WCPA

#NatureForAll : Canadian Committee for IUCN Update

Presented by Karen Keenleyside, Parks Canada

Parks for All: An Action Plan for Canada’s Parks Community

presented by Dawn Carr and Murray Kopp, Parks for All Co-chairs

Pathway to Canada Target 1

Topics in this video include:

Introduction and overview / National Steering Committee
presented by Nadine Crookes and Scott Jones

Indigenous Circle of Experts perspectives
presented by Eli Enns.
During the meeting Eli presented a draft video which is unavailable to post at this time. However, that summary video draws upon the following public videos that we invite you to view:
https://youtu.be/zvw5djVRjE0 – Western Regional Gathering
https://youtu.be/R3lO_xSRJK0 – Eastern Regional Gathering
https://youtu.be/_Ci-RF5k-Fs – Northern Regional Gathering
https://youtu.be/PyG0BI7wzC8 – Central Regional Gathering

National Advisory Panel perspectives
presented by Cliff Supernault and Janet Sumner

FORUM DIALOGUE:
THREE PATHWAY THEMES / CONTRIBUTIONS TO NATURE’S AGENDA

Privately Protected Areas in Canada: Linking to the Pathway to Target 1

presented by Michael Bradstreet, Nature Conservancy of Canada

Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas: Looking Ahead, part 1:
Cree Regional Conservation Strategy: Example of Planning Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs)

presented by Chantal Otter Tétreault, Cree Nation Government and
Christie Macdonald, Nature Conservancy of Canada

Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas: Looking Ahead, part 2

presented by Steven Nitah, ICE Member and Negotiator for Lutsel K’e Dene First Nations

Due to technical difficulties Steven Nitah’s slides do not display during this video. However, you may still listen to Steven and a pdf file of his slides is available here.

Urban Landscapes and Green Spaces

Topics in this video include:

Park People presented by Dave Harvey, Park People

Connecting People to Nature in an Urbanized Landscape presented by Eva Katic, National Capital Commission and Nick Stow, City of Ottawa

#NatureForAll World Conservation Congress Opportunities

#NatureForAll (#NFA) will be launched at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress (WCC) in Hawai’i September 2-10, 2016. There are many ways in which #NFA ambassadors, partners, and WCC attendees can participate in building the #NFA movement.

In the lead-up to the WCC #NFA is reaching out to existing and new partners, with a focus on building a coalition of organizations and individuals who share the #NFA vision.You can be a part of:

#NatureForAll’s Social media presence: Visit us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and help broaden #NFA’s reach by hashtagging #NatureForAll.
For Me, Nature is…: Contribute social media posts of photos that show your feelings in nature. Watch and share this video for more information.
#NatureForAll Greenhouse: Be a Mentor or Supporter to one of three finalists of the #NFA Greenhouse, an accelerator that has sought out projects from around the world that are connecting people to nature. Contact Crista Valentino at crista@coalitionwild.org for more information.
Social Media Influencers: Reach out to emerging social media influencers in your network with strong YouTube audiences to ask them do a short piece on their interaction with nature. Contact Tomasz Wiercioch at wiercioch@pc.gc.ca for more information.

During the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress the #NFA pavilion will be a central gathering place and focal point for the #NFA journey and for celebrating, catalysing, and showcasing global efforts to connect people to nature. You can be a part of: ·

The #NFA launch event: On September 2 at 11:00 AM and in other engaging, interactive sessions throughout the pavilion programme. Check out our pavilion program and the #NFA journey here.
Plays for Nature (Nature Playbook): Contribute video submissions that capture stories and actions about connecting with nature (Nature Plays).Contact Tomasz Wiercioch at wiercioch@pc.gc.ca for more information.
NatureRX Video: contribute to the filming of a new creative video that will be part of this comedic viral video series.
Building the Choir: Be a part of a video, podcast, and performance of a ‘connecting people to nature’ song being written at WCC. Contact Tomasz Wiercioch at wiercioch@pc.gc.ca for more information.
The Studio Photo Booth: Use the #NFA pavilion photo booth and share photos and videos via social media.
Airbrush Tattoos: Get a tattoo and participate in accompanying social media contest.
#NatureForAll Fireside Chats: collectively develop strategies and commitments to grow the #NatureForAll movement – from 8:30 to 10:30 September 3-6 at the #NFA pavilion. Build momentum and scale up action so that Partners and projects from around the world will be promoted and shared as a foundation for learning from each other and scaling up action. You can: benefit from cross-promotion by co-branding new or existing projects or programs with #NatureForAll. Share your experiences and lessons by requesting a form for a #NFA case study and collaborate with other #NatureForAll partners to scale up existing programs that connect new audiences with nature, or develop new ones. Check here for partnership and brand guidelines.

Need your help: #NatureForAll!

Dear CCIUCN Members,

I am writing on behalf of Mike Wong and Sean Southey, Co-chairs of the joint IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) – Commission on Education and Communication (CEC) Task Force on #NatureForAll, to invite you to play a vital role in the #NatureForAll campaign by becoming a partner or helping to identify partners for #NatureForAll.

More partners are needed to commit to this important new IUCN initiative to build new constituencies for nature conservation, locally and globally, and across all sectors of society. Please join the campaign and the #NatureForAll core team for the IUCN World Conservation Congress (WCC) in Hawaii, September 1-10, 2016 where partners will announce their commitment and celebrate their partnership.

The #NatureForAll campaign is in response to growing world-wide understanding of the intimate relationship between positive experiences in nature – especially at an early age – and establishing a sense of connection with the natural world that leads us to support its conservation. The campaign aims to amplify the messages of individual organizations and broaden the reach and impact of their programming to create a future in which billions of people worldwide are experiencing and connecting with nature and taking action for conservation. It is the foundation for the #NatureForAll movement, which will be launched with key partners at the #NatureForAll pavilion at the WCC. This brochure and this short animated video provide additional details.

Becoming part of #NatureForAll is as easy as 1-2-3.

1. Share your LOGO with Mike Wong (Mike.Wong@iucn.org) to be identified as a partner on our web site and campaign material.

2. Describe YOUR ORGANIZATION and its work, as it relates to #NatureForAll themes to benefit from cross-promotion. We’re asking for 250 words or less (e.g., a web link).

3. Make a #NatureForAll PLEDGE by sharing your organization’s commitment to raising awareness about nature and its values, facilitating opportunities for people to experience nature, and creating transformational moments that lead to lifelong personal connections with it.

I highly encourage all CCIUCN members to reach out to your different networks and bring in more core partners for #NatureForAll.

If you are an organizational member of CCIUCN please consider becoming a partner and help play a crucial role in this game-changing conservation movement and support a global effort to invite every person on the planet to fall in love with nature!

Thank you and warmest regards,

Margaret Beckel,
President, Canadian Committee for IUCN
President and CEO, Canadian Museum of Nature

A call for input on IUCN motion priorities

Dear CCIUCN members,

I am sure you are all reviewing the IUCN motions and providing comments if you have that right and ability.

Your CC IUCN board would like to understand what motions are of particular interest to our Canadian members so that we can provide a voice in support of those motions important to our CC IUCN members.

As an example, the Canadian Museum of Nature is interested and monitoring comments on the following motions:

002: Global group for national and regional committees
028: Urban dimensions of conservation
042: Protected areas as natural solutions
044: identifying key biodiversity areas
053: identifying marine protected areas
059: IUCN response to the Paris Agreement
063: Natural Capital
092: Environmental education
093: Connecting people with nature globally (#natureforall)
094: increasing resources for biodiversity research

Email your feedback to cciucn@mus-nature.ca or comment below. Thank you for making us aware of your priorities!

The second reading of the online discussion of motions is now open and will close on 26 June 2016.

Meg Beckel
President, CC IUCN