Biodiversity Convention Office

The Biodiversity Convention Office (BCO) serves as Canada's National Focal Point for the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity and the Canadian Biodiversity Strategy. BCO also provides a leadership role in the Biodiversity Conservation Working Group of the CEC and in the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) working group of the Arctic Council.

The BCO was established by Environment Canada in September 1991 to coordinate Canadian involvement in the negotiations of the Convention. Following Canada's ratification of the Convention in December 1992, attention shifted to development of a Canadian response. Under the guidance of the BCO, a Federal-Provincial-Territorial Working Group was charged by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment with developing the Canadian Biodiversity Strategy (CBS). In 1996, all jurisdictions signed a statement of commitment to use the Strategy as a guide to implementing the Convention in Canada. In 2005, Ministers instructed the FPT Working Group to develop a corresponding outcomes-based framework for guiding and monitoring implementation of the CBS. This biodiversity outcomes framework was approved by Ministers responsible for Environment, Forests, Parks, Fisheries and Aquaculture, and Wildlife in October 2006. It will be used to identify and link current and future priorities, to engage Canadians in sustainable resource use planning and implementation, and to report on progress in achieving shared outcomes.

In leading national efforts to define Canada's response to the Convention and National Strategy, the BCO plays a policy coordinating, catalysing and facilitating role. It operates through an extensive network of contacts within and outside government. At the federal level, an Interdepartmental Committee on Biodiversity provides advice and guidance on domestic and international policy issues. The Federal/Provincial/Territorial Biodiversity Working Group focuses on national biodiversity issues. BCO also works with indigenous groups to ensure their full and effective participation in meeting the objectives of the Convention and the CBS. It also undertakes a variety of public education activities, helping to create awareness and training tools for national implementation of the Canadian Biodiversity Strategy.

Governments, indigenous and local communities, businesses and industries, conservation groups, research and educational institutions, and individuals all share responsibility for protecting and conserving biodiversity in Canada and for using our biological resources sustainably. The BCO is working to support and facilitate their efforts through increased sharing of information and experiences.

The goal is to make Canadians better able to contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

To learn more about the Biodiversity Convention Office's activities and resources, click on the appropriate menu item on your left. If you cannot find the information you are looking for, please inform us by providing us with feedback.