Government of Canada, British Columbia and the First Nations Leadership Council sign a historic tripartite nature conservation framework agreement

November 3, 2023 – Vancouver, British Columbia

Today, the governments of Canada and British Columbia (B.C.), and the First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) signed a first of its kind, tripartite framework agreement to protect and conserve biodiversity, habitats, and species at risk in the province. The Framework Agreement enables action rooted in recognition of First Nations title and rights to reach B.C. and Canada’s goal of protecting thirty percent of lands in B.C. by 2030.

To support the commitments in the Tripartite Framework Agreement on Nature Conservation (the Framework Agreement), the Government of Canada is investing up to $500 million over the life of the Framework Agreement, which matches commitments from the Government of British Columbia. Together, this is one of the most significant nature investment plans in the history of Canada. Support includes a federal investment of $50 million toward the identification and securement of up to13,000 square kilometres of old-growth forest areas, and $104 million from the 2 Billion Trees program that will be specifically focused on the restoration of species at risk habitat, wildfire mitigation and recovery, and watershed health.