In a significant move towards enhancing environmental conservation, the City of Kingston’s Council has officially committed to the Montreal Pledge – Cities United in Action for Biodiversity, marking an important step in the city’s sustainability and biodiversity efforts.
The decision came during the Council meeting on March 19 (video), where Mayor Bryan Paterson was authorized to sign and forward a letter of support to the City of Montreal, confirming Kingston as a signatory to the pledge.
This commitment is in line with the Council’s 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, emphasizing the development of a strategy to protect and enhance the city’s biodiversity. The City is actively participating in several programs and initiatives that embody the essence of the Montreal Pledge.
Julie Salter-Keene, Kingston’s Manager of Climate Leadership, expressed the city’s dedication to biodiversity, saying, “Adding Kingston’s name to the Montreal Pledge is another way the City is taking action to safeguard biodiversity. Biodiversity is critical to our ecosystems and a measure of the health of the environment, and its conservation is vital to our world.”
The Montreal Pledge emerged from the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity held in Montreal in 2022. It calls on municipalities worldwide to join in the collective effort to protect biodiversity, outlining 15 specific actions aimed at preserving ecosystems. These actions are categorized into three main goals: reducing threats to biodiversity, sharing the benefits of biodiversity, and fostering solutions through inclusive governance, management, and education.
To date, over 60 major cities globally have aligned with the Montreal Pledge, showcasing their commitment to biodiversity conservation. As part of this international effort, Kingston, along with other signatory cities, will engage in voluntary monitoring of their progress through CitiesWithNature. This platform serves as a registry for the initiatives and commitments cities make towards biodiversity protection, allowing Kingston to track its adherence to the Montreal Pledge’s outlined actions.
Image: ai
