Nature United

Nature United creates solutions for people and nature by building diverse partnerships to protect lands and waters and ensure nature is the foundation of healthy communities, economies, and future opportunities. They achieve this by advancing the latest science on nature-based climate solutions, building sustainable policies and practices with communities and stakeholders, and supporting Indigenous-led initiatives to steward and conserve land and waters.

Nature United is the Canadian affiliate of The Nature Conservancy, a globally leading environmental organization with an impact in 81 countries and territories. Nature United has been our primary partner in advancing and scaling natural climate solutions in Canada. Our investments since 2017 have contributed towards their body of work in nature-based solutions; beginning with developing science and evidence, and leading to partnerships with communities, industry, and governments to drive policy and practice. Our funding supports their work to accelerate national and provincial uptake of available, science-backed pathways, including sustainable agricultural practices, large-scale Indigenous-led conservation, and effective management for healthy lands and waters. In addition, our support aids in increasing organizational capacity to bring on resources, expertise, and funding to drive impact in line with its commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion and working in right relations with Indigenous peoples.

Watch why we choose to support Nature United’s transformational work:

These investments have contributed to significant milestones, including:

• Science and policy to advance nature-based solutions in Canada: In 2021, Nature United published a landmark study along with 16 other research institutions that offered the first-ever comprehensive evaluation of the potential of nature to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, identifying pathways that could reduce Canada’s current emissions by 11% in 2030. Their efforts to engage various stakeholders led to the inclusion of natural climate solutions in Canada’s roadmap to meeting its 2030 climate goals, which include significant funding commitments and updated policies and programs that will enable the conservation and protection of 30% of land and 30% of waters by 2030.

• World’s leading Indigenous-led agreement for marine conservation in the Great Bear Sea: On June 25, 2024, 17 First Nations, the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia launched the Great Bear Sea Project for Finance Permanence (PFP) to support long-lasting protection for the Great Bear Sea region and sustainable economic development across its communities. The historic initiative, completed with support from Nature United and its global affiliate, secures long-term funding to protect and manage more than 10 million hectares of marine habitat and bolster efforts such as Indigenous Guardian programs to restore fisheries, safeguard habitats, protect cultural resources and strengthen food security.

• New models for Indigenous-led management and protection: Nature United believes that the increased authority and capacity of Indigenous Peoples to steward their lands and waters is critical for the future of healthy ecosystems and communities. They have worked across the country to build resilience and support transformative change in how lands and waters are managed, benefitting nature and people. Most recently, these efforts have enabled projects with Nations in Clayoquot Sound and the Kwakiah First Nation, which together will protect over 80,000 hectares of forested areas while creating new jobs and forwarding sustainable economic practices.

At this historical moment, we must focus our collective ambition and resources on reversing global temperature rise and biodiversity loss while protecting the ecosystems and communities that support life on Earth. The McCall MacBain Foundation has placed its trust in Nature United to accelerate solutions at the scale and pace needed to change the trajectory of our future.

– Hadley Archer, Executive Director, Nature United

Read more about the partnership and impact:

Story | August 2024: People on the Water: Power and Permanence on the Great Bear Sea

Story | June 2024: Working Together Towards “Living Tree Tenures”: Kwiakah First Nation’s Journey to Restore Old-Growth Forests

Press Release | May 2024: In Clayoquot Sound, First Nations’ Visions and B.C. Tenure Change Advances Old-growth Protection and a Conservation Economy

Press Release | February 2023: Nature United Accelerates Critical Solutions with a Transformative Investment From the McCall MacBain Foundation