Building on its partnership with the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada (JGIC), Air Canada is launching a new initiative to spotlight illegal wildlife trade (IWT) and its impact on global biodiversity. In collaboration with JGIC, the awareness campaign will showcase animals endangered from IWT on the airline’s in-flight entertainment welcome screens, social media and more during Earth Month, along with a special message from Dr. Jane Goodall.

“Air Canada’s significant commitment to not only fighting the illegal wildlife trade through their policies and procedures, but using their platform to educate on this very important issue is commendable,” said Bella Lam, Chief Executive Officer at the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada.

“At Air Canada, our belief is that while much of what we do to reduce our environmental footprint is about leaving less, we also need to do more to improve our planet’s fragile ecosystems. As a global airline, we can use our platform to bring more awareness to the illegal wildlife trade and how that affects overall biodiversity.

“To further support this important work, all Aeroplan points donated to The Jane Goodall Institute of Canada for one week following Earth Day will be matched by Aeroplan. We are also honoured to celebrate Dr. Goodall’s 90th year by supporting her birthday tour across Canada to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards,“ said Valerie Durand, Head of Investor Relations and Corporate Sustainability at Air Canada.

Air Canada participates in the IWT fight with a zero-tolerance policy on carrying banned species, and hunting trophies or products associated with illegal wildlife activities. Air Canada became a signatory to the Buckingham Palace Declaration in 2020, and was the first airline in the Americas to hold the IATA IWT certification, which confirms policies and procedures are in place to reduce the likelihood of the transportation of illegal wildlife products.
Subscribe to the FINN weekly newsletter

You may also be interested in

Airframe Designs flies through ‘Green’ audit

IATA releases industry net-zero tracking methodology

Collaboration is key for aviation industry to achieve climate targets