GREEN GIFTS A WAY TO CONSERVE SPECIES, LANDSCAPES

The Nature Conservancy of Canada is encouraging shoppers to think green this holiday season and give a gift of conservation that will last well into the future.

Through the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC) 28th annual green gifts program, shoppers can symbolically adopt a species or a landscape across the country.

For six decades now, the NCC — a non-profit organization that works with individuals, First Nations, communities, businesses and governments — has worked to conserve plants, animals and over 15 million hectares of natural landscapes.

Through the symbolic adoption of a species or landscapes, people can support NCC to conserve critical habitats and ensure a future for a species that is at risk. The funds gathered through the gifting program will also help to build healthier, more resilient ecosystems that provide services such as water filtration, flood protection and carbon storage, while at the same time countering the effects of biodiversity loss and climate change, a press release the group sent out on Dec. 8 said.

Those who choose to support the NCC through the gift giving program can select from nine species, including ones that are designated as threatened or endangered, such as the swift fox, monarch butterfly or Blanding’s turtle. Eight diverse habitats are also available to choose from, including grasslands.

The swift fox is now found in a small area of Prairie grasslands in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, the NCC’s website says. Due to habitat loss, they continue to disappear, so the protection of grasslands is essential to the fox’s survival. They are considered threatened under Canada’s Species at Risk Act.

The monarch butterfly has been assessed as endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, and the eastern monarch population has declined from over one billion in the late ‘90s to about 200 million as of 2015-16. Their habitats are threatened by fragmentation and degradation in Mexico’s oyamel fir forests and in Canada. Loss of milkweed and nectar plants threaten the specie’s survival.

The Blanding’s turtle is also considered endangered due to threats like wetland loss, motor vehicle collisions and illegal collection for the pet trade.

Those who are given gifts through the program will receive a full colour certificate, a 2024 NCC calendar, a 10-page booklet about the chosen species or landscape, and paperless gift options that include a digital full colour certificate, a digital landscape or species booklet and an informational video. Charitable tax receipts will also be issued for all green gifts program purchases.

It’s the perfect gift idea for people who are hard to shop for, or who already have everything ticked off of their must-have list, Andrew Holland, the NCC’s national media relations director, told the Sun.

“You might have a nature lover, an outdoor enthusiast in your family or friends, or for others, they’re running out of space and you don’t know what to give them, or they’re far away,” he said. “It’s a big win-win, in the sense that for buying the gift, the person who purchased the item gets a charitable tax receipt that they can use for their 2023 income taxes.”

The gift giving program illustrates the NCC’s belief that you don’t have to have a lot of money, or give a lot of money, to make a difference, Holland says. Every donation or purchase of a gift helps with conservation of important species and landscapes.

“The cool thing for the person who receives the gift, is they’ll know that these local areas will be conserved, and that they’ll know that they had a little bit of a role to play in seeing that managed and cared for,” he said.

Holland is hopeful that people across Canada will take part in the gift giving program, as he has noticed a trend of more and more people caring about the environment and learning about conservation, especially at a municipal level, as people react to severe weather that is more common due to climate change.

“You’re seeing floods that occur, you’re seeing a month of rain in 72 hours, you’re seeing droughts and wildfires, poor air quality alerts, things like that,” he said. “This is becoming the norm.”

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, Holland said. This is especially true when it comes to protecting Canada’s prairie grasslands, which the NCC says is the most endangered yet least protected habitat on the planet. Over 80 per cent of Canada’s native Prairie grasslands in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta have already been lost to human activity and conversion to other uses such as development and crops, Holland said.

“Wetlands help slow the flow of water. They act like a great big sponge or a huge roll of paper towel that might be on your counter at home. They help absorb water and hold it during those heavy rain conditions, so by conserving more wetlands and restoring more properties, this helps buffer our communities from the impacts of climate change and severe weather.”

Native prairie grasslands also offer carbon sequestration – when carbon is captured and stored, reducing the amount of it in the atmosphere, which will in turn reduce climate change, which is another reason the NCC is so keen to conserve them, Holland said.

“We’re working with ranchers, farmers and landowners to see these areas conserved through what’s called easements or conservation agreements.”

Holland hopes that even those who don’t celebrate Christmas or another winter holiday will take part in the gift giving program in lieu of, or in addition to, making a New Years’ resolution to be kinder to the environment and do more for conservation on a personal basis.

“Going into 2024, I recommend people take the time to learn more about the great work that a lot of [conservation] groups are doing — not just our organization, but others at the local level,” he said. “See if there’s availability to volunteer.”

The holiday program has raised more than $3 million over the last 28 years, which has gone to support the NCC’s conservation work across Canada.

“This type of gift extends way beyond the holiday season,” said NCC President and Chief Executive Officer Catherine Grenier. “It’s an investment in our collective well-being and future, and celebrates the myriad benefits that nature provides year-round, now and for generations to come.”

For more information on the green gifts program, including the full list of species and landscapes, visit giving.natureconservancy.ca.

Miranda Leybourne, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Brandon Sun

2023-12-22T15:59:52Z dg43tfdfdgfd