Election commitment to nearly triple protected areas in six years not funded or mentioned in budget documents 

WINNIPEG / TREATY 1 TERRITORY AND HOMELAND OF THE MÉTIS NATION — In its first opportunity to meaningfully counter the biodiversity crisis and grow parks, the Manitoba NDP government has fallen short of expectations, by leaving parks funding at effectively the same level as the previous government’s budget allocation.

“The money to act on the election promise to increase protected areas is simply not in this budget,” said Wilderness and Water campaigner Eric Reder.

During the 2023 election, the Manitoba NDP promised to protect 30 per cent of the lands and waters of the province by 2030, a commitment that aligns with the global biodiversity agreement signed by 196 countries in December 2022. Roughly 11 per cent of Manitoba is protected right now. In January, the new provincial government withdrew mining claims in a proposed Indigenous protected area — the Seal River watershed. This will preserve another up to 6.6 per cent of the province.

“We cannot achieve the election promise of preserving 30 per cent of lands in waters in the province unless we put resources towards parks and protected areas,” said Reder. “While the good work to protect the Seal River watershed is continuing, it only gets us halfway to the global biodiversity commitment.“

The Wilderness Committee has been calling for a new deputy minister position to engage with the 63 First Nations in the province, with the goal of facilitating community land use plans and preserving traditional territory according to their wishes.

“Protected areas don’t happen overnight. The work we need to do to care for nature, which holds our society together, is simply not budgeted right now,” said Reder.

Wildlife staff, which were removed from the Environment and Climate Change branch and moved to Economic Development, Investment, Trade and Natural Resources by the previous government, have not yet been reinstated. This year the government is decreasing the budget for wildlife staff. Yet Manitoba is required to produce nine boreal woodland caribou action plans, as they are currently in violation of the federal Species at Risk Act.

“We are required to spend money on nature, right now, to secure our future. Every delay will cost future generations more,” said Reder.
 

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Update: a correction was made to amount of potential protected area in Manitoba with the addition of the Seal River watershed.

For more information please contact: 

Eric Reder | Wilderness Committee 
204-997-8584, eric@wildernesscommittee.org