OURS-Winnipeg Supporters,
Winnipeg City Council voted 15 – 1 this month in favour of signing the “Montreal Pledge – Cities United in Action for Biodiversity”. This is a big deal!
Thank you so much to everyone who sent letters and helped support this motion.
Read the 15 actions you can now expect your City and Council to support to protect and increase nature in your communities. (List at bottom of email).
We expect to be able to report on the date for the official signing of the Montreal Pledge in our next email.
The pledge is based on the COP15 Global Biodiversity Framework’s 4 goals and 23 actions and agreed to by almost every country in the world. The aim is to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity. https://www.cbd.int/doc/ decisions/cop-15/cop-15-dec- 04-en.pdf
Biodiversity and climate change and how we care for the land are inextricably linked.
Fall Provincial Election
In the upcoming election there is an opportunity to raise the profile of climate change. Check out the non-partisan campaign called Consider Climate, Manitoba and order a lawn sign! www.considerclimatemb.ca
Support CPAWS campaign to increase protected areas. COP15 calls for 30 per cent of the world’s land and water to be protected by 2030.
https://cpawsmb.org/ manitobans-need-to-call-on- political-parties-and- candidates-in-the-upcoming- provincial-election-to-commit- to-developing-an-action-plan- that-will-protect-30-of- manitobas-lands-and-waters-by- 20/
15 Actions of the Montreal Pledge
https://montreal.ca/en/ articles/montreal-pledge-call- cop15-launched-to-worlds- cities-39529
Reduce Threats to Biodiversity
1. Integrate biodiversity into territorial and regulatory planning
2. Restore and rehabilitate ecosystems and their connectivity
3. Conserve existing natural environments through protected areas and other effective and equitable measures
4. Ensure the conservation and recovery of vulnerable species both wild and domestic, and effectively manage their interactions with humans
5. Control or eradicate alien species to eliminate or reduce their impacts
6. Reduce pollution from all sources to levels that do not adversely affect biodiversity, ecosystems functions or human health
7. Aim to eliminate plastic waste
8. Aim to reduce pesticide use by at least two-thirds
9. Contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation measures through ecosystem-based approaches
Share the Benefits of Biodiversity
10. Aim to ensure that urban agriculture, aquaculture and forestry zones are accessible, sustainably managed and contribute to food security
11. Prioritize nature based solutions to protect against extreme weather events and hazards and to regulate air and water quality
12. Increase the amount of green and blue spaces
Solutions, Governance, Management and Education
13. Integrate biodiversity into governance frameworks and public policies, and increase financial resources allocated to its conservation and sustainable use
14. Through citizen education and participation, help ensure that people and businesses are encouraged to make responsible choices toward biodiversity and have the resources and knowledge to do so.
15. Ensure the equitable and effective participation of Indigenous peoples and local communities in decision-making and in the process of knowledge acquisition and transmission
Please feel free to share this email with others who may be interested.
Pam Lucenkiw / Dave Green
Co-chairs, OURS-Winnipeg
https://ours-winnipeg.weebly. com
Recent Media:
A Vote for Biodiversity, Winnipeg Free Press July 18 2023
https://www.winnipegfreepress. com/opinion/analysis/2023/07/ 18/a-vote-for-biodiversity? fbclid= IwAR1Kg2QPPoYcJTTCGndtGwYbgnr5 yRP9C0Yo2XgoR95BGYIDcy-qBl_ r2OY
