March for biodiversity, human rights in Montreal: ‘just as important as COP’

More than 1,000 Montrealers, activists from home and abroad, and some politicians protested Saturday afternoon for climate, biodiversity and human rights.

At least 100 Quebec organizations and their supporters took part in the “March for Biodiversity and Human Rights,” demanding a reversal of biodiversity loss.

“What we need is a societal change,” said Esmeralda Wirtz with the Global Youth Biodiversity Network, and one of the march’s organizers.

The rally was meant to influence the countries and world leaders currently negotiating the next decade’s global biodiversity framework at the COP15 conference in Montreal.

“It’s been a lot of work to put all of this together” said Wirtz, of Belgium. “But we are very happy to be here today because we really think that the COP space is not enough to share our voice.

“The march is just as important as the COP.”

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Demonstrators also demanded that the human rights of those who protest ecosystems, such as Indigenous People, to be respected.

The march was led by dozens of Indigenous delegations from across the globe. They wanted to highlight they are the custodians of a vast majority of the world’s biodiversity through the maintenance of centuries-old practices, inter-generational knowledge and traditional relationships with the land.

Some travelled for more than 24 hours, from Indonesia, to be there.

“We need a strong human rights-based approach especially for our Indigenous People allies, because without Indigenous People, we probably will extinct soon,” said Sekar Banjaran Aji, a forest campaigner with Greenpeace Indonesia.

Arkilaus Kladit, a member of the Knasaimos-Tehit tribe in South Sorong Regency, Indonesia, told CityNews that being part of the protest was important for his community, and that it was important for him to defend the forest for the next generation.

The march began in front of the statue on Mount Royal, with the crowd braving sub-zero temperatures.

Protesters marched down Parc Avenue and east on President Kennedy Avenue toward the Parterre du Quartier des spectacles, where organizers and activists made speeches.

Organizers estimated there were more than 3,000 protesters in attendance.

Among them was Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante.

“They want to have direct decision that will have an impact on our biodiversity so we can have a better planet, a better city, having more green spaces for today, but also for the future,” said Plante.

“We have to act now, added Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois. “Species are endangered now, so we need immediate action.”

Some groups taking part in the march were the CBD Alliance, the Global Youth Biodiversity Network, Greenpeace Canada – all members of the Quebec Civil Society Collective for COP15.

“My message would be that human rights and social justice should be part of the agreements on biodiversity because we think that one cannot go without the other,” said Wirtz.