Grantee: Ecojustice
Project: A Pathway to Protecting Biodiversity in B.C.
Promoting biodiversity is not a luxury; it is of existential importance. Ecosystem health defines our relationship with the world and its inhabitants. It is the foundation of healthy human communities and impacts the health of the food and water we consume. It also highlights our engagement with the sacred land of Indigenous communities and the Nations that have stewarded this land for generations.
With the support of the Gencon Foundation, Ecojustice is tackling the biodiversity crisis by focusing on system-wide solutions and combining their expertise in litigation, law reform and strategic communications through the following strategies.
- Litigation to protect species and spaces: When governments and corporations put endangered species and their habitats at risk, Ecojustice takes them to court, creating lasting legal precedents for biodiversity protection.
- Provincial advocacy: British Columbia is the most biodiverse province in Canada, however it is also the province with the most species at risk – and one of few provinces without any provincial laws protecting biodiversity. Ecojustice is pushing for the creation of a B.C. law that legally prioritizes ecosystem health across all sectors and that centers Indigenous laws and knowledge.
- Indigenous legal services: Ecojustice partners with Indigenous groups and provides legal expertise, free of charge, helping to create pathways for Indigenous led conservation and legal pluralism.
- Strategic communications: Ecojustice is educating the public and mobilizing supporters on biodiversity protection through strategic communication plans and outreach.
Through this important work, Ecojustice recently upheld legal initiatives on behalf of their clients to protect endangered species under the Species at Risk Act (SARA), including the Marbled Murrelet, the Spotted Owl, and the Southern Mountain Caribou.
About Ecojustice
As Canada’s largest environmental law charity, Ecojustice has a 35-year track record of fighting for nature, climate and healthy communities in courtrooms and legislatures across the country. With their expertise in litigation, law reform, and strategic communications, they represent environmental groups, Indigenous communities, grassroots activists, and everyday people in Canada – free of charge. Their team works out of offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax to protect human health and the environment, halt and reverse biodiversity loss, and foster efficient collaborations with local and regional organizations to take on strategic public interest litigation that has an impact from coast to coast to coast. Through the support of partners like the Gencon Foundation, Ecojustice works to successfully envision, launch, and sustain bold environmental projects across the country.