A beaver photographed in the Red Deer River natural area. (Nature Conservancy of Canada)

By Dwayne McLaughlin and Josh Hall

mother nature

Nature Conservancy marks end of 8-year fundraising campaign

Jan 28, 2021 | 9:32 PM

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) says Canadians have turned to nature to help cope with the impacts of the pandemic.

An Ipsos poll, the results of which were released Thursday in conjunction with the end of the eight-year long Landmark Campaign, shows 94 per cent of people credit time spent in nature helping them ease stress and anxiety.

More than 85 per cent of people surveyed said access to nature has been important to maintaining positive mental health. Three in four said time outdoors is important to them now more than ever.

“Our conservation mission has never been timelier. Nature is a lifeline for so many people as we cope with the fallout of a global pandemic,” says Catherine Grenier, NCC president and CEO. “The Landmark Campaign has delivered conservation results, just when Canadians need it the most.”

The Landmark Campaign is what the NCC calls the boldest fundraising drive ever for nature in Canada. At its conclusion, the campaign has raised $750 million, the NCC announced.

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That has allowed for the conservation of more than 115,000 square kilometres, an area two and half times the size of Wood Buffalo National Park – Canada’s largest.

The campaign also means protection of habitats belonging to 130 at-risk species, seven of which are found nowhere else in the world, according to the conservancy.

In Alberta, the Landmark Campaign included the Waldron Ranch, which is the largest conservation easement in Canadian history with co-operation from more than 50 ranchers. There was also the Birch River Wildland Provincial Park project, and Bunchberry Meadows.

The campaign also allowed for the launch of the Jim Prentice Wildlife Corridor in Crowsnest Pass, and the Keep the Beaver Hills Wild campaign in the Beaver Hills Biosphere near Edmonton.

“The current pandemic has highlighted to many Canadians how important nature is to our physical and mental well-being. NCC’s Landmark Campaign has delivered conservation results just when Canadians need it the most,” says Tom Lynch-Staunton, NCC Alberta Regional Vice President. “This amazing conservation achievement has inspired Albertans and Canadians to invest in nature and wouldn’t have been possible without the support out of our amazing donors, partners, landowners, and volunteers.”

The NCC says 94 per cent of Canadians live within 100 km of a Landmark Campaign project, and donations came in from 40 nations around the world.

In all, 540 projects were completed thanks to the Landmark Campaign nationwide.