Nine in 10 Ontarians are worried about future access to nature

A poll conducted on behalf of the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) found 83 per cent of Ontarians are concerned they will lose access to nature close to where they live, reflecting the Canadian sentiment nationally.

“Nature has been such a good thing for us in the last two and a half, three years of the pandemic. It's improved our moods. Getting outdoors, having fresh air, it has just really been good for our physical and mental well-being able to spend time in nature,” said NCC spokesperson Andrew Holland on The Sam Laprade Show.

“So the fact that 83 per cent of people said they're worried that future generations won't have access to nature close to where they live, that jumped out at us.”

Conducted just ahead of the COP15 Conference on Biodiversity in Montreal, over 2,000 Canadians over the age 18 were interviewed, the vast majority (87 per cent) of which were also worried about the decline of plant and animal species across Canada.

A report compiled by federal, provincial and territorial governments in Canada and released the first week of December, shows 2,200 species are at risk of being lost across the country. Canada has committed to protecting a quarter of its lands and waters by 2025, and 30 per cent by 2030.

“At the end of 2021, Canada was just at 13.5 per cent,” said Holland. “So, we got quite a ways to go if we want to get to 25 per cent in a couple of years.”

Among those surveyed, protecting nature and conserving land is considered one of the most effective ways to address climate change, as well. Supporting the work of conservation organizations and lobbying governments at all levels to set aside significant parcels of land for protection was a solution that 86 per cent of Ontarians believed in, according to Holland.

As COP15 is set to wrap on Monday Dec. 19, the future of nature in Canada and globally hangs in the balance. Tensions have risen and negotiations slowed as developed and developing nations struggle to find common ground.

Listen to the full interview with Andrew Holland on The Sam Laprade Show below.