Canada’s lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands hold 20 per cent of the world’s freshwater. With such richness comes responsibility to protect watersheds for the wildlife and people who rely on them. But the stark reality is Canada’s freshwater ecosystems are in trouble. All 167 sub-watersheds are under threat and wildlife that rely on freshwater are also under threat.

We need better protections for our freshwater ecosystems. That hinges in part on something we don’t have. For decades, Canada has failed to collect information on a national scale about the health of our freshwater ecosystems.

With more data collection and access to accurate data, we can protect our freshwater systems and species.