Biodiversity conservation: the devil is in the details

The documents that emerged from COP15 were long on goals and objectives, but woefully short on details. Goals are the easy part, but when it comes to legislation or treaties, precision is critical if there is to be any hope of progress. Let me explain.

COP15 stressed the importance of conserving wild species, which is well and good, but what constitutes a species is still not settled. Hybridization is common in nature whereby two closely related species can cross breed. Mallard duck, left, and black duck hybrids are fairly common yet both are considered separate species, writes Robert Sopuck. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Opinion

BY ROBERT SOPUCK

January 30, 2023

Canada recently hosted the 15th Conference of the Parties on the conservation of biological diversity; hereafter, referred to as COP15. Having spent my entire career, both in and out of elected office, dealing with the use, management, and conservation of Canada’s biologic...

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