The United Nations COP15 continues through December 19th, and Nature Conservancy Canada is taking part. Saskatchewan’s NCC Regional Director, Cameron Wood, says the world is facing the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, so protecting these lands and waters are important for providing habitat for species at risk and storing carbon. He states that more than 80 per cent of Saskatchewan’s grasslands have already disappeared, and they are among the most endangered ecosystems in the world.

Wood explains that grasslands absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and plants store carbon in their root systems, which help to prevent climate change. As well, in the last fifty years bird, wildlife and pollinators have declined due to habitat loss and other factors. Wood says NCC Saskatchewan brings together communities, Indigenous Nations, non-profits, governments and corporations to accelerate nature protection by conserving grasslands in the province.