(Montreal) During the Conference of the Parties (COP15) on biodiversity on Thursday, the federal Minister of the Environment, Steven Guilbeault, highlighted the certification of 14 Canadian municipalities which have recently obtained the “Bird Friendly City” standard from the from Nature Canada.
The bird population has declined by 30% in North America over the past 50 years, which corresponds to a loss of three billion birds, according to an American study published in the journal Science in 2019.
The researchers point out that this decline in bird populations is linked to human activity and its impact on “the integrity of ecosystems” is “major”.
The results of the study come from observation with the naked eye, but also from 143 radars distributed on the North American territory.
The “Bird Friendly City” certification developed by the environmental organization Nature Canada aims to provide municipalities with tools to become safer places for birds.
The program received an investment of $655,000 from Environment and Climate Change Canada.
“There are very large cities, but also smaller ones that have benefited from the program, so certification is within everyone’s reach,” said Minister Guilbeault.
Certified municipalities are encouraged to take steps to “reduce the number of human-caused threats to birds, such as stray cats, pesticide use and bird collisions in windows.”
By achieving certification, municipalities commit to “creating safe environments for birds by promoting stewardship and ensuring that natural habitats are protected and restored”, for example by re-establishing migratory corridors for birds in wetlands.
Technologies that allow birds to visually locate building windows can also be implemented in urban settings.
In the spring of 2021, the cities of Vancouver, Toronto, London and Calgary were the first to be certified. In Quebec, only the municipality of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue has obtained certification so far, but several cities are waiting to be certified.
“Bird Friendly City certification is more than a piece of paper. It is a commitment to create a nature-friendly world together, and we are honored to work with municipalities to make this vision a reality,” said Graham Saul, Executive Director of Nature Canada.
During the press conference, Minister Guilbeault compared birds “to the canaries in the mine” of biodiversity, explaining that they are excellent indicators of the health of water, air and land, that they help keep forests and farms healthy by spreading seeds and eating insects and rodents.
The Minister also noted that the Government of Canada is protecting the habitat of migratory birds “by making progress towards its goal of conserving 25% of Canada’s land, freshwater and oceans by 2025, and achieving 30% 100 by 2030”.
Protecting 30% of land and seas by 2030 is the main objective of COP15.