In March, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced A Force of Nature: Canada’s Strategy to Protect Nature. The government says the strategy will invest $3.8 billion in protecting nature, and aims to “restore critical habitats, ensure industrial strategies complement our conservation efforts, and mobilise new capital for nature.”

That was followed on April 27 by the $25-billion Canada Strong Fund, a sovereign wealth fund focused on “nation-building projects” such as new mines, ports and energy corridors. The two are presented as separate initiatives but they should be closely integrated: nature is vital infrastructure and Canada needs new tools to support it.

We are all familiar with the grey infrastructure we rely…