THE QUEBEC-LABRADOR FOUNDATION INC

I. CONSERVATION AND STEWARDSHIP IN 2025, QLF'S CONSERVATION AND STEWARDSHIP INITIATIVES CONSISTED OF THE SOUNDS CONSERVANCY MARINE RESEARCH PROGRAM; BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION; STEWARDSHIP OF PROTECTED AREAS, THE MARITIMES; CONNECTIVITY CONSERVATION & RESTORATION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE STAYING CONNECTED INITIATIVE; AND GLOBAL STEWARDSHIP INITIATIVES. A. THE SOUNDS CONSERVANCY MARINE RESEARCH PROGRAM THE SOUNDS CONSERVANCY IS AN ESTABLISHED MARINE RESEARCH PROGRAM ALONG THE SIX SOUNDS, ESTUARIES, AND COASTAL WATERS OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND AND NEW YORK. FROM SOUTH TO NORTH, THE SOUNDS ARE LONG ISLAND, FISHERS ISLAND, BLOCK ISLAND, RHODE ISLAND, MARTHA'S VINEYARD, AND NANTUCKET. THE PROGRAM IS DEDICATED TO CONSERVE, PROTECT, AND STEWARD THE SOUNDS AND ITS COASTAL WATERS, AND SUPPORT MARINE RESEARCH, ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION WITHIN THIS GEOGRAPHY. EACH YEAR, QLF AWARDS MARINE RESEARCH GRANTS TO GRADUATE STUDENTS AND SEASONED PRACTITIONERS. AS WELL, EACH YEAR, QLF STAFF UPDATE THE SOUNDS CONSERVANCY'S 200-PAGE ELECTRONIC PUBLICATION, WHICH DOCUMENTS THE WORK BY THE FELLOWS OVER RECENT DECADES. A NUMBER OF SOUNDS CONSERVANCY FELLOWS HAVE WORKED CLOSELY WITH STAFF AS CO-AUTHORS ON A SERIES OF PUBLICATIONS AND BOOKS ON THE SOUNDS AND COASTAL WATERS OF NEW ENGLAND, FORAGE FISH, AND THE SOUNDS CONSERVANCY.B. BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION - THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF QLF'S BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION PROGRAM IS TO ENCOURAGE LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE AS CITIZEN SCIENTISTS, PROMOTE INITIATIVES THAT SECURE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, STEWARD AND CONSERVE ECOSYSTEMS, AND LEAD BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION INITIATIVES AS A STRATEGY TO MITIGATE THE IMPACTS OF A CHANGING CLIMATE. RECOVERY OF AQUATIC SPECIES, THREATENED AND ENDANGERED IN 2022, THE DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES AND OCEANS CANADA AWARDED QLF A FOUR-YEAR GRANT TO ESTABLISH A RECOVERY PLAN FOR AQUATIC SPECIES CONSIDERED THREATENED AND ENDANGERED IN THE LABRADOR STRAITS OFF NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR. THE PROGRAM IS DIRECTED BY A SENIOR CONSULTANT, BASED IN MASSACHUSETTS, WHO IS WIDELY RECOGNIZED FOR HER PIONEERING WORK IN BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION AND COMMUNITY-BASED CONSERVATION. C. STEWARDSHIP OF PROTECTED AREAS, THE MARITIMES - THE GOAL OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO ENSURE THE STEWARDSHIP OF DOZENS OF PROTECTED AREAS IN THE MARITIME PROVINCES OF NEW BRUNSWICK, NOVA SCOTIA, AND PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND. MANAGED BY STAFF BASED AT THE HEADQUARTERS IN IPSWICH, MASSACHUSETTS, THE PROGRAM IS DIRECTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATURE TRUST OF NEW BRUNSWICK, NOVA SCOTIA NATURE TRUST, AND ISLAND NATURE TRUST, PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND. STAFF AND PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS CONDUCT A SERIES OF PROVINCIAL SPECIES SURVEYS TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON SEABIRDS, SEA DUCKS, AND MIGRATORY BIRDS, AND MACRO-INVERTEBRATE SPECIES THAT SERVE AS INDICATORS OF WATER QUALITY AND ECOSYSTEM HEALTH. THOSE DATA CONTRIBUTE TO REGIONAL LONGITUDINAL STUDIES ON BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEM HEALTH THAT DEFINE CURRENT AND FUTURE STRATEGIES AND MANAGEMENT PLANS FOR THE CONSERVATION, STEWARDSHIP, AND RESTORATION OF BIODIVERSITY ACROSS THE MARITIMES. D. CONNECTIVITY CONSERVATION & STEWARDSHIP IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE STAYING CONNECTED INITIATIVE QLF IS A LEAD PARTNER IN THE STAYING CONNECTED INITIATIVE, A CROSS-BORDER, PUBLIC-PRIVATE COLLABORATION ESTABLISHED TO CONSERVE, RESTORE, AND STEWARD A WELL-CONNECTED FOREST LANDSCAPE FOR NATIVE WILDLIFE AND COMMUNITIES IN THE NORTHERN APPALACHIAN-ACADIAN/WABANAKI REGION OF NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN CANADA. THIS ECO-REGION ENCOMPASSES MORE THAN 80 MILLION AREAS AND IS GLOBALLY SIGNIFICANT AS ONE OF THE LARGEST AREAS OF MIXED TEMPERATE FOREST IN THE WORLD, AND A GATEWAY FOR SPECIES MIGRATING NORTH IN RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT. PROGRAM PARTNERS ARE DEPLOYING AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO CONNECTIVITY CONSERVATION AND STEWARDSHIP WORKING WITH INDIGENOUS LEADERS AND COMMUNITIES IN THE REGION TO CONSERVE AND PROTECT 30% OF TERRESTRIAL AND AQUATIC HABITAT BY 2030. AS PART OF THE STAYING CONNECTED INITIATIVE, IN 2024 QLF WAS A LEAD PARTNER IN THE FIRST NORTHEASTERN NORTH AMERICAN LANDSCAPE CONNECTIVITY SUMMIT HELD IN MONTREAL, QUEBEC. THE SUMMIT CONVENED 200 MEMBERS OF GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS, AND ACADEMIA REPRESENTING THE FIVE EASTERN PROVINCES OF CANADA, SEVEN NORTHEASTERN U.S. STATES, AND INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE ECO-REGION. THE SUMMIT SERVED TO ELEVATE THE VISIBILITY AND IMPORTANCE OF THE REGION'S CONNECTED FOREST LANDSCAPES AND RESULTED IN A COMPREHENSIVE DOCUMENT, THE PATHWAYS GUIDE, A HIGH-LEVEL BLUEPRINT OF PRIORITY ACTIONS FOR THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS TO ADVANCE CONNECTIVITY CONSERVATION AND STEWARDSHIP IN THE ECO-REGION OF NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN CANADA. THE SUMMIT WAS MANAGED BY A SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT BASED IN VERMONT. CONNECTIVITY CONSERVATION & STEWARDSHIP IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE STAYING CONNECTED INITIATIVE. E. GLOBAL STEWARDSHIP INITIATIVES THE STEWARDSHIP INITIATIVES ARE MANAGED BY A QLF SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT IN MASSACHUSETTS AS FOLLOWS - WORLD COMMISSION ON PROTECTED AREAS A QLF SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT SERVES AS A VICE CHAIR OF THE WORLD COMMISSION ON PROTECTED AREAS, ONE OF SEVEN COMMISSIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE (IUCN), THE LARGEST CONSERVATION ALLIANCE IN THE WORLD. AND WITH MORE THAN 2,500 VOLUNTEER MEMBERS WORLDWIDE, THE WORLD COMMISSION ON PROTECTED AREAS PROVIDES SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL, AND POLICY ADVICE ON NATIONAL AND GLOBAL SYSTEMS OF MARINE, FRESHWATER, AND TERRESTRIAL PROTECTED AREAS TO RESTORE BIODIVERSITY. GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY FRAMEWORK A CRITICAL INITIATIVE OF THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY, THE GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY FRAMEWORK PROVIDES GUIDELINES AND A FRAMEWORK TO REVERSE BIODIVERSITY LOSS AND RESTORE BIODIVERSITY ACROSS THE GLOBE. CENTRAL TO THE FRAMEWORK IS TARGET 3, THE 30 X 30 GLOBAL INITIATIVE ESTABLISHED TO SECURE 30% OF LAND AND SEA IN PROTECTED AND CONSERVED AREAS ACROSS THE GLOBE BY THE YEAR 2030.A QLF SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT HAS DEVELOPED A GUIDE FOR THE INCLUSIVE AND EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY AND THE GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY FRAMEWORK DRAFTED IN COLLABORATION WITH LOCAL RIGHTSHOLDERS, INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, AND COMMUNITY LEADERS WITH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR CONSERVATION PRACTITIONERS WORLDWIDE. PROTECTED AREAS AND ONE HEALTH IN RESPONSE TO SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE THAT LAND-USE INDUCED SPILLOVER IS A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO DISEASE THROUGH THE TRANSMISSION OF WILDLIFE PATHOGENS, A SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT SERVED AS THE CO-EDITOR OF A SPECIAL ISSUES OF PARKS, THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PROTECTED AREAS AND CONSERVATION, WHICH DOCUMENTS THE IMPACT OF THE SARS-COV-2 ON PROTECTED AND CONSERVED AREAS. THIS STAFF MEMBER WHO SERVES AS A VICE CHAIR OF THE WORLD COMMISSION ON PROTECTED AREAS WORKS IN COLLABORATION WITH ITS TASK FORCE ON PROTECTED AREAS AND ONE HEALTH. THIS TASK FORCE WAS ESTABLISHED ON THE PREMISE THAT PROTECTED AREAS RESTORE AND PROTECT BIODIVERSITY, THEREBY REDUCING THE TRANSMISSION OF WILDLIFE PATHOGENS. ITS MEMBERS ASSESS INFECTIOUS DISEASE IN PROTECTED AREAS WORLDWIDE AND SEEK TO REDUCE THE THREAT OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE THROUGH BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION; AND DEVELOP WILDLIFE HEALTH SURVEILLANCE NETWORKS THOUGH A NEW DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM TO ACHIEVE ONE HEALTH FOR WILDLIFE AND HUMANS. WORLD HERITAGE A QLF SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT HOLDS A LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP WITH THE INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE IN ITS SUPPORT TO UNESCO'S WORLD HERITAGE PROGRAM ESTABLISHED TO MONITOR THE STEWARDSHIP OF NATURAL WORLD HERITAGE SITES. POLICY NOTES AND TECHNICAL PAPERS ON PROTECTED AREAS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, A QLF SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT WRITES POLICY NOTES AND TECHNICAL PAPERS ON PROTECTED AREAS AND EFFECTIVE AREA-BASED CONSERVATION FOR THE NEWSLETTER OF THE WORLD COMMISSION ON PROTECTED AREAS AS WELL AS PARKS, THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PROTECTED AREAS AND CONSERVATION.

II. CONSERVATION INTERNSHIPS THE CONSERVATION INTERNSHIP PROGRAM IS MANAGED BY STAFF BASED AT QLF HEADQUARTERS IN MASSACHUSETTS. AS CONSERVATION LEADERSHIP IS AMONG QLF'S HIGHEST PRIORITIES AND A HALLMARK OF ALL PROGRAMS, QLF INVESTS IN THE NEXT GENERATIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERS WHO ARE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS (UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATES) AND YOUNG PROFESSIONALS. IN 2025, CONSERVATION INTERNS WERE BASED ON ASSIGNMENT IN THE MARITIMES, NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR. INTERNSHIPS PROVIDE HANDS-ON, EXPERIENTIAL TRAINING, AND FIELD WORK IN BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION AND STEWARDSHIP OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND CULTURAL HERITAGE. AS WELL, QLF OFFERS INTERNSHIPS IN SCIENCE WRITING AND COMMUNICATIONS AT THE QLF HEADQUARTERS.ENGAGING THE NEXT GENERATION CONSERVATION LEADERS BASED IN MASSACHUSETTS, A QLF SENIOR CONSULTANT DIRECTS THE PROGRAM, ENGAGING THE NEXT GENERATIONS OF CONSERVATION LEADERS, IN DOZENS OF RURAL AND COASTAL COMMUNITIES ALONG THE GREAT NORTHERN PENINSULA OF NEWFOUNDLAND AND SOUTHERN LABRADOR. THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, STAFF PROVIDE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION WORKSHOPS TO MORE THAN 300 YOUTH AND EDUCATORS WITH A THEMATIC FOCUS ON THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION; SEABIRDS, SEA DUCKS, AND MIGRATORY BIRDS; MARINE MAMMALS AND MARINE ECOSYSTEMS; WILDLIFE AND THEIR HABITAT. THIS PROGRAM IS MANAGED WITH MULTIPLE PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS NEWFOUNDLAND AND SOUTHERN LABRADOR.