On February 16th, 2023, Island Nature Trust hosted an event, Biodiversity Loss in PEI: Finding Solutions Together, at the Farm Centre in Charlottetown. 

The purpose of the event was to bring together expert organizations, institutions, and members of the public who are actively working towards halting and reversing biodiversity loss across Prince Edward Island and Atlantic Canada, to share their knowledge with attendees. 

We heard from eight knowledgeable presenters on topics including historical losses of biodiversity in PEI, the importance of moving forward together, improving backyard biodiversity, wetland restoration, application of two-eyed seeing, provincial work of the Forested Landscape Priority Place, supporting landscape-scale climate resilience, and legal protections for species at risk in PEI. In addition to learning more from experts in the field, the evening was also intended as a local follow-up to COP15 which was held in Montreal, QC, in December 2022. 

Aleida Tweden – Biodiversity loss in PEI speaker, representing the Mi’kmaq confederacy, interviewed with INT’s Jo Merth by CBC Radio in February 2023

What were some major results stemming from the COP15 biodiversity conference? How do the Federal commitments translate to the Provincial scale? How can we springboard into action as individuals and as a community? Throughout the evening, attendees were invited to reflect upon the role that the public and individuals have in stopping the loss of biodiversity across Prince Edward Island. 

The event brought together over 80 people and many more attended virtually. Some key takeaways are how deeply Islanders care about the environmental issues facing our home and how essential it is that immediate action is taken across all levels of civil society. 

We would like to send a special thanks to each of you who placed your own personal commitment onto the tree of action. It was inspiring to see each leaf, representing an individual’s action, filling the branches as a symbol of our shared commitment towards halting and reversing biodiversity loss in our own back yards.

Our collective work is not done. We hope this event has deepened the drive to work towards addressing the ecological challenges within our province. We were inspired by the dedicated individuals in attendance and believe this event was successful in forging new connections and prompt discussion as we move forward to implement action. 

Watch the full event below.