On March 31, 2026, the Canadian government released A Force of Nature: Canada’s Strategy to Protect Nature—a federal plan designed to outline how the country intends to meet its goal of protecting 30% of its lands and waters by 2030. The government states that over $3.8 billion will be allocated to implement this policy by 2030.
Not Just New Protected Areas, but a New Approach
This is not just about new nature reserves, but a broader shift in approach to conservation policy. The document explicitly states that the strategy is based on three pillars: protecting nature in Canada, developing nature-positive infrastructure, and recognizing the economic value of ecosystems and mobilizing capital for environmental protection. At the same time, this is not a separate new law, but a federal implementation plan for the existing Canada’s 2030 Nature Strategy, previously released as a general roadmap to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.
The 30% Target by 2030
Canada’s official goal is to increase the proportion of protected and conserved areas to 30% on land and in waters by 2030. According to government data, by the end of 2024, 13.8% of the country’s land area and 15.5% of its marine area had been conserved. In other words, the goal is still far off, which is why the government’s new strategy calls for accelerating the pace.
What is the scale of Canada’s plan?
The document states that over the next four years, Canada aims to protect and conserve at least 1.6 million km² of land and 715,857 km² of ocean. For the land component, the plan includes, in particular, up to 10 new national parks, 15 new national urban parks, and 4 new National Wildlife Areas. For the marine component, the government mentions up to 10 new national marine conservation areas and up to 14 new marine protected and conserved areas across Canada’s three oceans. This is precisely why popular social media posts sometimes simplify the wording: the official text distinguishes between several different categories of protected areas, rather than reducing everything to a single type of “marine protected area.”
The Role of Indigenous Peoples
The government places special emphasis on the role of Indigenous peoples. The strategy explicitly states that “there is no path to 30x30 without Indigenous leadership,” and the federal government promises to deepen its support for Indigenous-led conservation, particularly through the expansion of Indigenous Guardians programs and the creation of a new Arctic Indigenous Guardians Program. The document also provides specific examples of new marine protected areas—Qikiqtait and Sarvarjuaq—which are being advanced in partnership with the Inuit and already contribute about 2% toward Canada’s marine conservation goals.
Nature-Positive Infrastructure
Another key part of the strategy is an effort to change the very logic of infrastructure development. The government states that it aims to design projects so that they “work with nature, not against it.” To achieve this, they plan to make greater use of mapping, data, and artificial intelligence to identify Key Biodiversity Areas, improve project planning, and expedite permitting processes. The document also explicitly states that federal government programs must work with industry to ensure that bridges, ports, and highways have a smaller environmental footprint.
Restoration of Ecosystems and Animal Populations
The strategy also includes specific funding packages for the restoration of individual ecosystems and wildlife populations. These include $412.9 million over five years to restore vulnerable Pacific Salmon populations and their habitats, $81.7 million over five years to stabilize and restore wild Atlantic Salmon, as well as $90 million over five years for an action plan for the Wood Buffalo National Park World Heritage Site and the restoration of two wood bison populations on the border of Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
Marine Environment Protection
For the marine environment, the government is separately committing funds to combat so-called ghost gear—abandoned or lost fishing gear that harms marine ecosystems and wildlife. The document states that 2,546 tons of such gear have already been removed from Canadian waters since 2020, and the new strategy allocates an additional $15 million over three years to modernize systems for locating, removing, and disposing of ghost gear.
Nature as an Economic Resource
The government presents all of this not only as an environmental initiative but also as an economic one. The strategy emphasizes that nature is the foundation of the country’s well-being and competitiveness, and includes an estimate that Canada’s ecosystem services could be worth at least $3.6 trillion annually. Separately, Parks Canada notes that natural systems in national parks have immense economic value, including through water, climate resilience, and tourism.
Conclusion
In short, Canada is indeed launching a very ambitious federal conservation plan. But it would be more accurate to say that this is not a single “one-day mega-initiative,” but rather a new federal strategy to implement commitments already made by 2030. Its scale is significant, but its success will depend on whether Ottawa can actually reach agreements with the provinces, territories, Indigenous communities, municipalities, landowners, and businesses—and whether it can translate the impressive numbers into real new protected areas and restored ecosystems.