YOUR TORONTO ZOO PARTICIPATES IN COP15 CONFERENCE
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TORONTO, ON, Wednesday, December 14, 2022: This past week your Toronto Zoo proudly participated in COP15, an international meeting that brings together governments and relevant organizations to set new goals and develop an action plan for protecting nature and halting biodiversity loss. Specifically, the overarching goal of this summit is to negotiate an ambitious Global Biodiversity Framework —the agreement which commits all the world’s governments to actions that conserve and sustainably use biodiversity. There continues to be an urgent need for international partners to halt and reverse the alarming loss of biodiversity worldwide, and we were thrilled to be involved in this critical conversation as it connects to our mission of connecting people, animals and conservation science to fight extinction.
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On Friday, December 9th, Toronto Zoo staff from our Native Bat Conservation Program presented alongside Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) and Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) in the Canadian Pavilion, which showcases Canada’s leadership in fighting biodiversity loss. Together, they have collaborated on efforts to support and protect bat populations in Ontario. The conversation touched on partnerships and reconciliation, the technologies involved in this research, the impact of Community Science on conservation efforts, and Environmental and Climate Change Canada and Global Biodiversity Framework priorities.
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Toby Thorne, Toronto Zoo Native Bat Conservation Program Coordinator, discussed the declining bat species in Ontario, the threats that have led to this decline including disease, habitat loss, and climate change and highlighted the importance of having a range of perspectives to understand what needs to be done and most effective way to spend resources.
“We need to understand current bat population levels in a variety of locations so we can preserve appropriate habitat and help people avoid actions that are harmful to bats,” said Toby Thorne, Native Bat Conservation Program Coordinator at the Toronto Zoo. “One of the most important parts of the program has been generating a significant volume of high-quality data that can be used by the wider scientific and conservation communities to implement meaningful conservation measures for bats.”
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Bats are important contributors to biodiversity and play an essential role in helping to control pests, disperse seeds and pollinate plants. Unfortunately, half of Ontario’s bat species are endangered, either from human activity and habitat loss or from diseases such as white-nose syndrome. The Native Bat Conservation Program advances the national recovery strategy for bats by targeted research to maximise our conservation impact on Ontario bat populations, and spreading the message that bats are threatened, not threatening.
“Protecting people and the environment is central to our work, and this project is a great example of how we do that by aligning with Indigenous Knowledge, applying best available western science research practices and engaging members of the local community to help gather data and share the word about protecting bats,” said Melissa Mayhew, Senior Environmental Scientist at the NWMO who took part in a panel discussion at the Canada Pavilion. “Working together, we’ve built amazing new relationships with people living in the South Bruce region who participated in the community science and outreach elements of this project.”
A key theme of COP15 and priority for Environment and Climate Change Canada is the importance of Indigenous people’s role in the Global Biodiversity Framework and as stewards of biodiversity. In 2022 MNO Region 7 members undertook a Community Science project to collect bat data, with support from NWMO and your Toronto Zoo, and presented this project as part of our collective event.
“Bats are an important part of the biodiversity of Ontario and the ecosystem,” said Hope Hill, Consultation Advisor with the Lands, Resources and Consultation Branch of the MNO, who represented the organisation at the COP15 panel discussion at the Canada Pavilion. “Members of our community were pleased to be able to further contribute to the protection of bats through this partnership with the NWMO and the Toronto Zoo.”
Your Toronto Zoo looks forward to working with great partners like the NWMO and MNO, and contributing to this important conversation in the weeks and months ahead as we strive to be organizational leaders who are stewards of the planet and the animals in our care and their counterparts in the wild.
Click here to learn more about our bat conservation work.
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The Toronto Zoo’s mission is to connect people, animals and conservation science to fight extinction and our vision is a world where wildlife and wild spaces thrive.
An iconic tourist attraction and Conservation organization, the Toronto Zoo boasts a number of leading programs for helping wildlife and their natural habitats – from species reintroduction to reproductive research. A world-class educational centre for people of all ages, the Toronto Zoo is open every day including December 25 and attracts approximately 1.2 million guests each year.
Toronto Zoo is accredited by Canada's Accredited Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA) and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The Zoo has also achieved the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) Certificate of Good Animal Practice® and is inspected by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).
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