In an exciting development for conservation efforts across the country, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) and the Toronto Zoo have announced a groundbreaking five-year partnership and joint commitment for $3 million and in-kind resources to work on reversing population declines in vulnerable species of wildlife. Central to these efforts are commitments to conserve the eight bat species in Ontario as well as Blanding’s turtles (Emydoidea blandingii).

Building on a successful collaboration that began in 2020 and was focused on native Ontario bat research and expanding connections between communities and conservation, this new agreement will further biodiversity and conservation science by continuing to bring together experts and leaders across knowledge systems. This announcement demonstrates the NWMO and Toronto Zoo’s continued commitment to ensuring Indigenous Knowledge is considered in the protection of native species and to acknowledging Indigenous peoples' inherent responsibility and role in land stewardship.

“Our priority at the NWMO is protecting people and the environment for generations to come as we implement a deep geological repository for the safe, long-term management of Canada’s nuclear waste on behalf of Canadians and Indigenous Peoples," said Allan Webster, Vice-President of Regulatory Approvals at the NWMO. “The NWMO's ongoing partnership with the Toronto Zoo allows us to contribute to meaningful conservation outcomes across Canada and is one of the many ways we work alongside communities to promote environmental stewardship and well-being.”

The NWMO and Toronto Zoo’s partnership is founded upon sharing expertise and resources to make more effective contributions to saving species than either organization could achieve alone, and demonstrates how industry partners can contribute to meaningful and lasting biodiversity conservation.

Through this incredible partnership, the NWMO and the Toronto Zoo are joining forces with Reverse the Red, a global coalition that ignites strategic co-operation and action to ensure the survival of wild species and reverse the trend of biodiversity loss. The goal of Reverse the Red is simple and ambitious: humanity needs to stop pushing our environment to the brink and pushing more species toward greater extinction risk, as measured by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species™. The IUCN Red List is widely recognized as the most comprehensive, scientifically-based source of information on the global conservation status of species and a critical indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity.

Central to Reverse the Red’s local and national strategies is the Reverse the Red Species Pledge, a set of organizational commitments to undertake targeted actions to accelerate the recovery of specific species. By pledging, the NWMO and the Toronto Zoo are making a public declaration of dedication to save species, while connecting to networks and strategies that create positive impact on a global scale.

Pledge facts

• Ontario is home to eight species of bat: big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus), eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis), hoary bat (Lasiurus cinerius), silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans), eastern small-footed bat (Myotis leibii), little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus), northern myotis (Myotis septentrionalis) and tri-colored bat (Perimyotis subflavus).
• Currently, seven of the eight Ontario bat species are endangered provincially, three are endangered federally, and four are described as globally endangered, vulnerable or near-threatened on the IUCN Red List.
• The Toronto Zoo has conducted over 10 years of monitoring and research to support the recovery of Ontario bat species, including acoustic monitoring, capture and release surveys, radio telemetry and public outreach efforts.
• The NWMO, the Toronto Zoo and the Métis Nation of Ontario were invited to share their collaborative approach to saving and protecting endangered bats in Ontario at the Canada Pavilion at the 2022 United Nations Biodiversity Conference of the Parties (COP15).
• Blanding’s turtles are listed as globally endangered on the IUCN Red List due to habitat loss and associated population declines.
• The Toronto Zoo has been using expertise in caring for ex situ populations to establish a headstarting program for Blanding’s turtles: collecting eggs from healthy wild populations, hatching and raising the turtles at the Zoo for two years and releasing them into Rouge National Urban Park, working in partnership with Parks Canada to recover a population that was previously functionally extinct.
• The Toronto Zoo is also pioneering research on effective headstarting and other aspects of this turtle species’ ecology to support recovery throughout its range.