Coinciding with Earth Month in April, Air Canada is raising awareness about the illegal wildlife trade (IWT) and its impact on global biodiversity. Building on its partnership with the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada (JGIC), the campaign is featuring on the airline’s in-flight entertainment and social media and Aeroplan will launch a points match week in support of the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada from April 22 to 28.

The campaign includes a special message from the noted environmentalist, Dr. Goodall.

“Air Canada plays an important role in protecting biodiversity around the world and I’ve been proud to see Air Canada team up with The Jane Goodall Institute of Canada to bring more awareness to this issue,” says JGIC CEO Bella Lam. “Their 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,”

Valerie Durand, Head of Investor Relations and Corporate Sustainability at Air Canada, adds,

“At Air Canada, our belief is 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.

Durand says Air Canada is also supporting Dr. Goodall’s 90th birthday tour across Canada to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards.

Other Air Canada initiatives to combat the illegal wildlife trade include:

• Participating in the IWT fight with a zero-tolerance policy on carrying banned species, and hunting trophies or products associated with illegal wildlife activities
• Signing the Buckingham Palace Declaration in 2020
• 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
• Is a member of the United for Wildlife North America Regional Chapter
• Has created IWT e-learning modules for all frontline employees and managers in Air Canada Cargo, its freight business, and
• Is the first airline globally to showcase conservation documentaries from Age of Union, a non-profit environmental alliance that supports and makes visible a global community of changemakers working on the ground to protect the planet’s threatened species and ecosystems.

For more on Air Canada’s efforts to combat illegal wildlife trade, as well as to see the Dr. Goodall video, click HERE.