WCC 2016 Res 085 - Activity Report

Over 2022 – 2023, Parks Canada contributed the time of three full-time staff and additional resources to help lead the development of #NatureForAll initiative and activities. Through the joint IUCN-World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) and IUCN-CEC task force, the Parks Canada #NatureForAll coordinator has helped build a coalition of over 580 partners who are advancing the #NatureForAll movement through activities such as sharing of success stories, developing toolkits to connect new audiences with nature, videos and other resources in multiple languages.

Parks Canada facilitated a panel discussion on youth engagement in ocean conservation at IMPAC5 featuring other #NatureForAll partners and IUCN members (Ocean Wise, Nature Canada, Learning for Sustainable Futures, Students on Ice and the Canadian Network for Ocean Education),

Parks Canada led the delivery of programming aimed at youth engagement through the development of the #NatureForAll Youth Archipelago at the fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5),

Parks Canada, in collaboration with the Canadian Committee for IUCN, hosted the WCPA Awards Ceremony and the launch of the Love Fest at a side event during IMPAC5.

Parks Canada, with support from the CEC, the WCPA and other #NatureForAll partners, led the implementation of the first #NatureForAll Love Fest (February 2023), a two-week celebration of inspirational stories of connecting with, and inspiring love of, nature. It featured a social media campaign focused on sharing partner events from around the world as well as highlighting individuals working to conserve nature.

Along with other park agencies from around the world, Parks Canada is sharing content related to its work on protected areas, focusing on its staff as well as success stories of conservation efforts, through a dedicated page on the #NatureForAll website.

During IMPAC5, Parks Canada shared information about the #NatureForAll Sounds of Your Parks platform, promoting its ocean conservation efforts as well as other international park agencies’ contributions This included a poster at the Canadian pavilion, a poster at the Parks Canada booth and marine sounds being played over the sound system during Parks Canada’s National Marine Conservation Areas policy announcement.

Over the course of the year, Parks Canada encouraged other #NatureForAll partners and IUCN commission members to share their love of nature stories. Through this work, more than 120 new stories, in various formats (videos, blogs, podcasts, etc.) were added to the #NatureForAll website. Work will continue to add to this growing collection of inspiring stories.

Parks Canada continues to gather and encourage partners to submit their success stories/solutions to the #NatureForAll and IUCN’s Panorama platform.

Parks Canada continues to promote the contribution of success stories/solutions to the #NatureForAll website and IUCN's Panorama platform, focused on its own programs as well as from other #NatureForAll partners.

Parks Canada provided speakers for the finale of the #NatureForAll Love Fest, which featured 50 individuals from around the world sharing their love of nature story.

Parks Canada's #NatureForAll coordinator participated in the Take Me Outside Conference, in May 2023, bringing together teachers and education-focused organizations together.

The Parks Canada #NatureForAll coordinator continued to support the #NatureForAll Discovery Zone. This online platform offers a searchable database of multi-language resources aimed at helping people, especially children, connect with and learn about nature. Parks Canada has contributed 39 resources to this platform.

The Parks Canada #NatureForAll coordinator is supporting the CEC and WCPA in organizing monthly dialogues relevant to their in the context of #NatureForAll’s mission to inspire love, support, and action for nature.

Working with the IUCN WCPA and fellow IUCN member the US National Parks Service, along with the George Wright Society and the Colorado State University, Parks Canada staff assisted with maintenance and promotion of the Sounds of Your Park initiative, a continuously growing collection of sounds intended to celebrate the acoustical beauty and diversity of the world’s national parks and other protected areas. In addition, staff from various Parks Canada field units also contributed recordings from their parks and protected areas.

Parks Canada staff participate in the WCPA Health and Well-Being specialist group, which promotes the health and well-being benefits of nature across the conservation, health and other sectors.

Parks Canada’s #NatureForAll coordinator participated in the development and implementation of the Greening School Grounds and Outdoor Learning Project, an initiative aimed at engaging leaders and practitioners around the world to learn more about successful approaches and scalable strategies for greening school grounds.