COLLABORATORS

Canadian Land Trusts Working Group (CLTWG)

The Canadian Land Trusts Working Group (CLTWG) is an adhoc working group with representation from regional and community land trusts from the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Québec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, and three provincial associations (Réseau de milieux naturels protégés, the Ontario Land Trust Alliance and Land Trust Alliance of British Columbia) formed to provide a unified the voice for the sector in current discussions with the Federal Government around conservation programs and funding.

CLTWG works with NCC and DUC to collaborate on the Natural Heritage Conservation Program Funding which has committed $100 million towards conservation projects in Canada. CLTWG partners with WHC Wildlife Habitat Canada for the delivery of the program. WHC will oversee the administration of $20 million to the land trust community between 2019 and 2023. Information on the Land Trust Conservation Program can be found at https://whc.org/ltcf/

Members of the CLTWG are:

Atlantic: Megan Harris, Bonnie Sutherland

Quebec: Veronique Vermette

Ontario: Bill Lougheed, Susan Walmer, Alison Howson

Alberta: Justin Thompson

British Columbia: Jasper Lament, Paul McNair

Centre for Land Conservation (CLC)

The Centre for Land Conservation, established in 2019, focuses on supporting private land conservation through research, policy, and the maintenance of the Canadian Land Trust Standards and Practices. CLC works with the community as an independent voice to enhance public trust and confidence in private land conservation in Canada. For more information, visit the CLC website.

Land Trusts Conservation Fund (LTCF)

In 2019, the Canadian federal government approved of a $1.4 B Nature Fund to meet their goals of:

  • Protecting at least 17% of terrestrial areas and inland water by 2020.
  • Enhancing the integrity and connectivity of Canada’s protected and conserved areas network.
  • Establishing new Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) to support Indigenous engagement in conservation.

As part of its Nature Legacy Initiative, the Government of Canada is investing $100 million over four years in the Natural Heritage Conservation Program (NHCP), from April 1, 2019, to March 31, 2023.

The NHCP is a public-private partnership designed to advance privately protected areas in some of the country’s most cherished landscapes. More specifically, the NHCP aims to achieve the following objectives:

  • to contribute to the achievement of the terrestrial and inland water elements of Target 1 of Canada’s 2020 Biodiversity Goals and Targets;
  • to contribute to the protection of habitat for the recovery of Species at Risk Act (SARA) listed species at risk and the prevention of other species from becoming listed under SARA.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Wildlife Habitat Canada and community and regional land trusts represented by the Canadian Land Trusts Working Group are working together under the NHCP to support these goals, with a commitment to protect an additional 200,000 hectares (494,210 acres) of habitat for species at risk.

Under the program, $20M has been allocated to the Land Trusts Conservation Fund (LTCF) over 4 years (2019-2023) to support Canada’s community and regional land trusts in securing private lands and private interest in lands. Wildlife Habitat Canada is providing grant administration services for the LTCF.

Under the Land Trusts Conservation Fund, OLTA, RMN and LTABC are working collectively to provide capacity building services to support the land trust community.

For up-to-date information regarding the Land Trusts Conservation Fund program, please visit the WHC website.