National Peatland Strategy proposed to protect climate-critical ecosystems amid extraction and industrial development rush

Press Release

TORONTO, Dec. 4, 2025  – WCS Canada has today unveiled a proposed National Peatland Strategy, calling on federal, provincial, and territorial governments to adopt urgent measures to safeguard Canada’s most carbon-rich ecosystems. Peatlands – critical natural stores of carbon that also support biodiversity, water quality and Indigenous ways of life – are increasingly threatened by industrial development, resource extraction, and policy gaps that leave them unprotected.

Canada is home to roughly 25% of the world’s peatlands, storing 150 billion tonnes of carbon – more than five times the carbon in all the country’s forests combined. Yet these ecosystems face mounting pressures from industrial development, especially mining, oil and gas, agriculture and forestry. Experts warn that without immediate, coordinated action, degradation of Canada’s peatlands could release massive amounts of irrecoverable greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, undermining national and global climate targets.

The proposed strategy, which reflects the contributions and expertise of over 100 of Canada’s foremost peatland researchers, practitioners and knowledge-holders, lays out a comprehensive roadmap of priorities for protecting, restoring, and stewarding peatlands, including:

• Strengthened policies and smarter planning: Canada cannot adequately protect its peatlands under current policy frameworks. Governments must update decision-making to reflect the essential values of peatlands, integrate peatlands into climate and nature strategies, coordinate across jurisdictions, and plan at the regional scale so peatlands are protected, actively stewarded and restored where necessary – not sidelined by short-term development pressures. Long-term, secure funding must underpin this work.
  
  
• Indigenous leadership at the forefront: Any credible peatland strategy must be rooted in ethical collaboration rather than passive consultation to uphold Indigenous Rights, respect Indigenous authority in decision-making, and support Indigenous-led stewardship and governance.
  
  
• Investing in the knowledge and capacity needed to act: That means investing in research, supporting community and Indigenous capacity, and ensuring information flows between knowledge-holders and decision-makers. Without this, effective protection and stewardship of these globally important ecosystems simply won’t happen.

“Canada’s peatlands are globally important ecosystems, providing essential values and services like climate regulation, biodiversity habitat, wildfire mitigation and water services,” said Victoria Goodday, Policy Lead at WCS Canada and lead author of the report. “The protection of Canada’s peatlands is critical to the well-being of future generations, worldwide. With this strategy, we have a path forward- but governments need to act now.”

WCS Canada is urging federal and provincial governments to adopt the strategy as a blueprint for action, and to work with Indigenous communities, scientists, and industry partners to ensure peatlands are conserved for future generations. Protecting peatlands is not only critical for climate mitigation and adaptation, but also essential for maintaining biodiversity, water quality, and ecosystem resilience across the country.

For more information, images or maps, please contact: Ashleigh Talbot – Director of Communications, WCS Canada (E: atalbot@wcs.org)

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