Not so long ago, Earth Day carried a genuine sense of optimism — a belief that meaningful environmental action was at last gaining the momentum needed to stave off the worst of the climate and biodiversity crises.

In recent years, however, April 22 has arrived with a more bittersweet weight. Instead of celebration, it has become for many a day of reckoning: an invitation to take stock of how little progress has been made — particularly by governments and corporations — and to confront the uncomfortable truth that, in many respects, we are slipping backward.

While this reality is painfully evident in the realm of climate action, this week I want to turn to a closely related concern: the degradation of biodiversity protection. However, even as governments such as those of Donald Trump and Doug Ford continue to weaken environmental safeguards, there remains a bright spot — the work of local, non-governmental organizations. More on that shortly.

Trump: Conservation gutting

In the midst of a global biodiversity crisis, the Trump administration has moved aggressively to roll back foundational environmental protections, including a proposal to rescind nearly all critical habitat designations under the Endangered Species Act. By placing industrial development and the pursuit of energy independence ahead of science-based conservation, these actions threaten the survival of endangered migratory species such as whooping cranes and monarch butterflies — animals that depend on intact, cross-border corridors.

The administration has also weakened the Migratory Bird Treaty Act by suspending penalties for “accidental” bird deaths caused by activities like oil spills or toxic waste pits.

Compounding these policy reversals are severe staffing and budget cuts at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. More than 50 National Wildlife Refuges no longer have a single staff member on the ground to manage these critical habitats.

Ontario: Rolling back safeguards 

This erosion of biodiversity protection is by no means confined to the United States. Here in Ontario, the provincial government is dismantling the very legal tools designed to safeguard vulnerable species. Most troubling is the repeal of Ontario’s long-standing Endangered Species Act, once viewed as a gold standard for wildlife protection.

Its replacement — the Species Conservation Act — has been roundly criticized by groups such as Ontario Nature for being significantly weaker. It effectively abdicates provincial responsibility for migratory birds and aquatic species, shifting the burden to the federal government and creating dangerous gaps in protection. What’s urgently needed is renewed federal leadership under the Species at Risk Act to restore meaningful habitat enforcement.

Setback for greener municipalities

The province is also moving to strip municipalities of the power to require “green standards” that exceed the Ontario Building Code. Through Bill 98, the government aims to impose a uniform baseline for developers, effectively shutting down local initiatives like the Toronto Green Standard, which has required important ecological features since 2010. If this legislation passes, cities would be unable to enforce additional requirements such as bird-friendly glass and enhanced tree canopies. While the government frames these standards as mere red tape that slows housing construction, the reality is that the bill would deal a profound blow to efforts to build greener, safer, and more wildlife-friendly cities. 

As efforts by municipalities to protect biodiversity are now being thwarted by the Ford government, tens millions of birds like this black-and-white warbler continue to die each year from preventable window collisions.

The scale of bird deaths caused by window collisions in Canada is staggering. Current estimates suggest that between 16 and 42 million birds die each year after striking glass — numbers surpassed only by cat predation. This “invisible” crisis is especially acute during migration, when millions of birds pass through our urban and suburban landscapes.

Mistaking the reflected sky or nearby vegetation for open flight paths, they collide with windows at fatal speeds. Most of these preventable deaths occur at homes and low-rise buildings. It’s a sobering reminder of the simple, effective steps we can take: installing visual markers on the outside of windows and keeping cats indoors.

Undermining conservation authority power

Local environmental oversight faces further erosion through the government’s budget bill, the Plan to Protect Ontario Act (Bill 97), now moving through the legislature. This sweeping legislation proposes consolidating the province’s 36 conservation authorities into just nine massive regional districts — another step that poses serious risks to biodiversity.

The most pressing danger lies in the centralization of power. The province would gain the ability to override local decisions that block development in ecologically sensitive areas. Even more alarming is a new requirement for conservation authorities to identify “surplus” land for housing, sparking fears that critical floodplains and species-at-risk habitats could be sold off to developers. In effect, this bill strategically dismantles the local barriers that once protected Ontario’s most fragile ecosystems.

Under the proposed restructuring, the Otonabee Region Conservation Authority would be absorbed into a large regional body, shifting decision-making from local townships to a distant oversight model. Such centralization threatens the site-specific expertise that has long guided the protection of the Otonabee watershed’s drumlins, wetlands, and forests. Our unique natural heritage could be sacrificed under a one-size-fits-all provincial framework.

National ambition, provincial stagnation

At the national level, at least, there are reasons for cautious optimism. On March 31, Prime Minister Mark Carney launched A Force of Nature, a $3.8-billion strategy to protect 30 per cent of Canada’s land and water by 2030. The plan includes establishing 14 new marine protected areas and 10 new national parks. It is an undeniably positive step. But it also highlights a glaring conservation gap at the provincial level. Ontario’s 2026 budget continues to overlook the importance of biodiversity. Protected areas in the province remain stalled at roughly 11 per cent — far short of the 30 per cent target championed by both the federal government and the COP15 UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Ontario now sits near the bottom among Canadian provinces and territories in this regard.

The power of local action

As governments like that of Ontario retreat from their responsibilities, we can take heart in the leadership emerging outside this sector. Celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, Kawartha Land Trust (KLT) remains a cornerstone of regional biodiversity protection. They have secured more than 8,800 acres across 48 properties, including vital wetlands, forests, and lakeshores. By building a connected network of protected spaces and public trails, KLT is ensuring that the Kawarthas remain a sanctuary for both wildlife and people.

For more than 80 years, the Peterborough Field Naturalists have served as the eyes and ears of our local ecosystems. Their work exemplifies the “local expertise” that is so urgently needed today. Through bird counts, butterfly surveys, and public nature walks, PFN volunteers document subtle environmental changes that large-scale data sets often miss. Their dedication to nature education nurtures the next generation of stewards.

GreenUP, meanwhile, provides our community with practical pathways to build climate resilience and habitat for wildlife into everyday life. From managing Ecology Park — a hub for native plant restoration — to helping residents transform yards into wildlife-friendly spaces, GreenUP empowers individuals to take meaningful action. They show how small efforts — a rain garden, an urban tree — can ripple outward into a more nature-friendly Peterborough.

Camp Kawartha, a leader in environmental education, reaches thousands of students each year. Its award-winning programming fosters “ecological literacy” — an understanding that we are part of an intricate, living web. Under the leadership of Jacob Rodenburg, Camp Kawartha teaches that the natural world is not a resource to be managed, but a “neighbourwood” to which we belong. It is nurturing exactly the kind of leadership the natural and human worlds will need in the decades to come.

At a moment when many governments and corporations are stepping back from environmental protection, we must recover the original spirit of Earth Day and move beyond the “bittersweet weight” of April 22. We can — and must — act for nature in the here and now, no matter what the future holds. Doing so is not only a moral imperative but a source of genuine joy and meaning.

So, this Earth Day, let’s do three things: be outraged by Ontario’s backtracking on environmental protection; cherish the excellent work being done locally; and support it in every way we can.

© Peterborough Examiner