Celebrating 25 years of investing in nature: Thirty-one new habitat stewardship projects for species at risk in 2025-2026

On March 6, 2026, the Honourable Nathalie Provost, Secretary of State (Nature), on behalf of the Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature, announced an investment of more than $5.2 million for 31 habitat stewardship initiatives through the Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk

On March 6, 2026, the Honourable Nathalie Provost, Secretary of State (Nature), on behalf of the Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature, announced an investment of more than $5.2 million for 31 habitat stewardship initiatives through the Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk. These projects will help protect and recover species at risk and the habitats they depend on.

Quebec

Project title: Collaborative action against illegal turtle trade in Ontario and Quebec
Recipient: 17345097 Canada Centre (Guardean)
Funding amount: $99,990
Project description: This two-year project aims to reduce the threat of illegal trade affecting at-risk turtle species in Ontario and Quebec. It will create a community of experts to strengthen understanding of illegal trade dynamics, identify vulnerable areas, and develop an action plan to address the issue.

Project title: Voluntary habitat conservation of five species (or group of species) at risk in central Quebec
Recipient: Conseil régional de l’environnement du Centre-du-Québec
Funding amount: $59,000
Project description: This two-year project will protect and recover five species at risk, including the bobolink, Eastern meadowlark and chimney swift. Project activities include conducting inventories, delivering awareness and education initiatives, improving habitat and implementing threat mitigation measures in several municipalities in the Centre-du-Québec region of Quebec.

Project title: Understanding and mitigating barriers to Blanding’s turtle recruitment
Recipient: Université du Québec en Outaouais
Funding amount: $143,039
Project description: This five-year project aims to protect and support the recovery of the Blanding’s turtle by understanding and addressing barriers to the recruitment of the species in Outaouais, Quebec. It will mainly target nest predation, a key threat identified in the species’ recovery strategy, by monitoring nesting sites and using telemetry to track female turtles. By mitigating this threat, the initiative seeks to enhance survival and promote long-term population growth.

Project title: Habitat protection and threat mitigation for the wood turtle in Mauricie
Recipient: Société d’histoire naturelle de la vallée du Saint-Laurent
Funding amount: $266,369
Project description: This project builds on ongoing efforts to protect and restore habitat for the wood turtle by installing 2,230 metres of exclusion fencing and securing 20 hectares of critical habitat through legal conservation agreements. The fencing will reduce turtle mortality from road traffic, while the legal agreements will ensure the protection of essential habitat areas.

British Columbia

Project title: Habitat protection and enhancement for species at risk on Pender Islands, British Columbia
Recipient: Pender Islands Conservancy Association
Funding amount: $188,430
Project description: This two-year project aims to protect and improve habitats for species at risk on Pender Islands, British Columbia, through land purchases, conservation agreements, and voluntary stewardship initiatives. Efforts include removing invasive species, planting native vegetation, reducing fire risks, restoring roads, and installing bat and bird houses. The project also focuses on improving riparian and pollinator habitats. Public outreach and education will help landowners understand the value of protecting these critical areas.

Project title: Foodlands restoration and stewardship for species at risk in the Bell Slough
Recipient: Rivershed Society of BC
Funding amount: $404,884
Project description: This five-year project aims to restore vital riparian habitat for at-risk species in the Bell Slough area of Chilliwack, British Columbia, by improving water quality, stabilizing stream banks, and enhancing natural vegetation. Led by the Rivershed Society of BC, the project partners with Cheam and Sqwá First Nations and local landholders through a co-designed approach that integrates Traditional Ecological Knowledge and language. Restoration efforts include removing invasive species, planting native vegetation, creating wetlands, and building riparian buffers. The project also offers community education focused on Indigenous food systems, land stewardship, and cross-cultural learning.

Project title: Stewardship of grassland habitat and at-risk snake species through enhancements to snake exclusion fencing in Osoyoos, British Columbia
Recipient: Nk'Mip Desert Cultural Centre
Funding amount: $153,100
Project description: This three-year project will repair and improve snake exclusion fencing on Osoyoos Indian Band reserve lands to reduce road mortality and human-wildlife conflict during snake migration. It will also enhance or install refugia (safe shelters) along the fencing and restore an artificial pond for the Great Basin spadefoot. These efforts address major threats such as habitat disturbance, predator exposure, and lack of water in this drought-prone area, which can affect snake health and reproduction. Public education and signage on roads will help raise awareness and encourage safer driving to protect snakes.

Project title: Syilx Traditional Ecological Knowledge for the tmixw, tmxwulaʔxw, and siwɬk (living beings, land, and water) in Southern British Columbia
Recipient: Okanagan Indian Educational Resources Society
Funding amount: $156,182
Project description: This three-year project aims to protect and restore habitats for several rare and endangered species, including butterflies and pollinators, on Indigenous and private lands in the Penticton and Osoyoos areas of British Columbia. It focuses on connecting riparian, wetland, and upland habitats to support species like Behr’s hairstreak and monarch, using Syilx Traditional Ecological Knowledge. Key efforts include restoring the endangered antelope-brush/needle-and-thread grass ecosystem, planting showy milkweed for monarchs, and removing invasive species. Land protection near Marron Lake will help create wildlife corridors in this highly threatened and biodiverse area.

New Brunswick

Project title: Keenan Purchase
Recipient: Meduxnekeag River Association
Funding amount: $30,000
Project description: This one-year project will help protect habitat for threatened species by supporting the purchase of 12.5 hectares of land along the Meduxnekeag River in New Brunswick. The land includes mature forest, wetlands, open areas, and riverbanks ideal for the species’ recovery. It will be added to the existing 450-hectare Meduxnekeag Valley Nature Preserve. This expansion helps safeguard important natural areas and supports long-term conservation efforts.

Project title: Enhancing pollinator conservation: Focusing on monarchs and yellow-banded bumble bees in New Brunswick
Recipient: Nature NB
Funding amount: $150,000
Project description: This two-year project aims to protect at-risk pollinators, like the endangered monarch and the yellow-banded bumble bee, through habitat protection and threat reduction around Fredericton, New Brunswick. Working with partners and government, the project will promote best practices, limit harmful vegetation clearing, and engage stakeholders to reduce impacts on pollinator habitats. It will also survey and monitor important breeding, foraging, and migratory areas for under-studied species. Outreach and education will play a key role in reducing pollinator mortality and supporting recovery.

Project title: Strengthening monitoring and stewardship of chimney swift and barn swallow habitat across urban, agricultural and forestry sectors
Recipient: Birds Canada
Funding amount: $240,000
Project description: This three-year project aims to protect and recover chimney swift and barn swallow populations in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. It builds on previous successes and focuses on reducing habitat loss and disturbance, while engaging landowners, community volunteers, and conservation partners in stewardship activities. The project will involve monitoring, habitat improvement, and outreach to raise awareness, including campaigns to protect nesting sites and collaboration with municipalities on conservation during development. Birds Canada will lead regional coordination and data collection efforts, contributing to national population tracking.

Project title: Engaging with the forestry sector to protect breeding Bicknell’s thrush and fill knowledge gaps to improve long-term habitat stewardship in the Maritimes breeding range
Recipient: Birds Canada
Funding amount: $177,000
Project description: This three-year project will protect and recover Bicknell’s thrush in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia through threat reduction, conservation efforts, and outreach with stakeholders. It will build on previous work to gather information on habitat use, address knowledge gaps, and mitigate threats from industrial forest activities like clearcutting and road building by implementing best management practices. Data collected will support habitat suitability models for better conservation and management decisions. The project will also involve field surveys and collaboration with partners to monitor Bicknell’s thrush through Mountain BirdWatch and automated recording units.

Newfoundland and Labrador

Project title: Minimizing threats to a new blue felt lichen hotspot in Central Newfoundland plus expanding surveys to Hunts Ponds waters
Recipient: Kikmanaq Indigenous Cultural Revival Association
Funding amount: $28,407
Project description: This one-year project will survey two at-risk lichen species—blue felt lichen and boreal felt lichen—in forests near Charlie’s Place, Central Newfoundland. The goal is to map and identify important habitats to help guide land management and reduce threats in an area facing development pressures. Findings will be shared with provincial conservation partners to support better planning and protection. This work fills a major data gap for species at risk in this under-surveyed region.

Northwest Territories

Project title: Advisory Committee for Cooperation on Wildlife Management—Ten-year review of Taking Care of Caribou Management Plan
Recipient: Wekʼèezhìi Renewable Resources Board
Funding amount: $121,000
Project description: This one-year project will review and update the 10-year-old management plan for the Cape Bathurst, Bluenose-West, and Bluenose-East barren-ground caribou herds. It will ensure that Indigenous Knowledge is meaningfully included by holding engagement sessions in all 18 affected communities across the Inuvialuit, Sahtu, Tlicho, and Kitikmeot regions of the Northwest Territories. The goal is to make the plan more inclusive, relevant, and effective for long-term caribou conservation.

Project title: Project Wingspan—Northern Canadian Communities
Recipient: Pollinator Partnership Canada
Funding amount: $35,000
Project description: This one-year project will support at-risk pollinators, including several bumble bee species, by addressing the lack of native plants that support them. The project will involve trained volunteers collecting seeds from common native plants, cleaning and germinating them, and then distributing and planting them throughout Yellowknife.

Nova Scotia

Project title: Stewardship of at-risk bats in Nova Scotia
Recipient: Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute
Funding amount: $47,750
Project description: This one-year pilot project will support the recovery of endangered bat species in Nova Scotia, including little brown myotis, northern myotis, and tri-coloured bat. It focuses on addressing the threat of white-nose syndrome, coordinating conservation efforts, and managing wildlife health across the province. Activities include habitat surveys to find maternity roosting sites, acoustic monitoring, and working with landowners to protect important bat habitats. The project will also raise awareness, fill knowledge gaps, and promote best management practices to help conserve bats in the Atlantic region.

Ontario

Project title: Leading Ontario piping plover conservation through improved habitat stewardship, restoration, threat mitigation, and successful partnerships
Recipient: Birds Canada
Funding amount: $219,900
Project description: This three-year project will lead and coordinate monitoring and protection efforts for the piping plover across the Great Lakes in Ontario, working with various government and non-governmental organizations. The project focuses on protecting nests and plovers from both natural and human threats at known breeding sites through methods like predator exclusion fencing and flood prevention measures. These efforts aim to safeguard critical habitat on both public and private beaches.

Project title: Thames watershed reptile recovery
Recipient: Upper Thames River Conservation Authority
Funding amount: $120,000
Project description: This three-year project will help recover the spiny softshell by improving nesting habitats and protecting subpopulations in the upper Thames River watershed of southwestern Ontario. It will enhance nesting areas by adding suitable substrate, removing invasive species, and planting native plants for shoreline stability. Protection efforts include using educational signage, fencing, and nest cages, as well as collecting eggs from vulnerable nests and raising hatchlings in captivity before releasing them.

Project title: Establishing breeding habitat connectivity for Jefferson-dependent unisexual Ambystoma in Southern Ontario
Recipient: rare Charitable Research Reserve
Funding amount: $110,863
Project description: This four-year project will help recover the Jefferson salamander, by creating a treed corridor on retired agricultural land in North Dumfries, Ontario. The corridor will connect two known breeding sites and include wetlands, vernal pools, and pit and mound topography. Native trees and prairie species will be planted to enhance biodiversity and support the salamander population.

Project title: Habitat stewardship and research on eastern prairie fringed orchid in Ontario
Recipient: North-South Environmental Incorporated
Funding amount: $268,356
Project description: This five-year project aims to recover eastern prairie fringed orchid populations in southern Ontario, where fewer than 50 individuals remain or where the species is locally extirpated. The project will remove invasive species, manage woody plants, and use prescribed burns to restore habitats. In areas with self-sustaining populations, like Tallgrass Prairie Heritage Park, orchids will be manually pollinated, and seeds will be collected and dispersed at sites where the species no longer survives, such as Menzel Centennial Provincial Nature Reserve.

Project title: The Manitoulin Phragmites project: Completing landscape-wide control of invasive Phragmites in habitats of Blanding’s turtle, Pitcher’s thistle, monarch and ten other species at risk
Recipient: Winter Spider Eco-Consulting
Funding amount: $24,000
Project description: This project will continue efforts to improve habitat for Blanding’s turtle on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, by removing invasive Phragmites from 26 hectares of wetland and shoreline around Lake Wolsey. The work will be carried out using a specialized amphibious vehicle (Truxor) operated by the Invasive Phragmites Control Centre. The project will restore important habitat used by the Great Lakes / St. Lawrence population of Blanding’s turtle.

Project title: Stewardship actions to conserve and recover Virginia goat’s-rue and bird’s-foot violet near Turkey Point, Ontario
Recipient: St. Williams Conservation Reserve Community Council
Funding amount: $72,000
Project description: This project will improve critical habitat for the endangered Virginia goat’s-rue and bird’s-foot violet in the St. Williams Conservation Reserve, Ontario, through prescribed burns, invasive species control, and native plant restoration. It will also collect and store bird’s-foot violet seeds for future planting to increase population size and resilience, including trials and assisted dispersal in other suitable areas like Brantford and Vittoria. Over 1,000 seeds will be preserved for genetic conservation. The project will now extend for three more years to enhance 15 hectares of habitat and assess the impact of these restoration efforts.

Project title: Habitat stewardship, threat abatement and recovery of grassland species at risk habitats in the Rice Lake Plains
Recipient: Nature Conservancy of Canada
Funding amount: $346,300
Project description: This project will continue efforts to restore tallgrass prairie and oak savanna habitats on Nature Conservancy of Canada lands in Ontario’s Rice Lake Plains through prescribed burns, invasive species removal, and native planting. It includes acquiring 61 additional hectares and extending the project by four years to restore and manage over 45 more hectares and refine conservation strategies. These efforts will support the recovery of at least seven at-risk species, such as the Eastern whip-poor-will and monarch. Up to 250 landowners and community members will also be engaged to promote long-term stewardship of these rare ecosystems.

Prince Edward Island

Project title: Interpreting the signals of bat health for stewardship evaluation to inform future conservation and recovery actions
Recipient: University of Prince Edward Island Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative
Funding amount: $442,809
Project description: This four-year project supports the recovery of endangered bats in Atlantic Canada by maintaining a regional Bat Hotline, collecting public sightings, and coordinating citizen science and acoustic monitoring. It will identify and protect important habitats like maternity roosts and hibernation sites, while promoting best practices and mitigation measures with landowners and wildlife managers. The project also evaluates past efforts to track population trends and improve future conservation strategies. Data will be shared with decision-makers and the public to guide bat protection efforts.

Project title: Monitoring of Prince Edward Island’s bat species
Recipient: Prince Edward Island Watershed Alliance
Funding amount: $196,128
Project description: This three-year project will help protect endangered bat species across Prince Edward Island by coordinating standardized monitoring using North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) protocols and working with local watershed groups. It will also implement conservation actions at key roosting and overwintering sites, such as protecting human-made structures like old wells and mines. Public education and engagement with landowners and sectors like agriculture will support threat reduction. Targeted acoustic surveys will fill data gaps and help track bat populations over time.

Saskatchewan

Project title: Stewards of Saskatchewan: Engaging rural landowners and managers in Prairie species at risk conservation
Recipient: Nature Saskatchewan
Funding amount: $139,730
Project description: This three-year project in southern Saskatchewan will engage landowners in protecting and restoring native grassland habitat for species at risk. Through outreach and voluntary stewardship agreements, landowners will be encouraged to participate in long-term conservation efforts. Surveys and monitoring will address knowledge gaps, while the project will also explore the social and economic benefits of stewardship and increase rural community involvement in conservation and citizen science.

Project title: Rare Plants and Ranchers Phase 3
Recipient: Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan
Funding amount: $332,350
Project description: This five-year project will work with landowners and First Nations in southern Saskatchewan to develop and adapt site-specific management plans aimed at protecting plant species at risk in sand dune and native prairie ecosystems. Using annual site assessments, the project will update plans to reduce threats such as invasive species and implement best management practices to improve habitat conditions. This ecosystem-based approach will support the recovery of plant species at risk and strengthen conservation efforts on private and First Nations lands.

Yukon

Project title: Stewardship of mammal species at risk in the Yukon
Recipient: Government of Yukon, Department of Environment
Funding amount: $60,000
Project description: This two-year project will support conservation of endangered little brown myotis and northern myotis in the Yukon by applying past research to guide stewardship actions. Activities include installing maternity roosts, developing guidelines to protect roosting trees, and drafting a community plan to protect key bat habitats. Local communities will be engaged in conservation efforts.

Project title: Collared pika as sentinels of northern mountain biodiversity under climate change: Pairing genomics and habitat modelling to support the 2023 Species at Risk Act Management Plan
Recipient: University of British Columbia
Funding amount: $297,330
Project description: This four-year project focuses on protecting the collared pika from the impacts of climate change by raising public awareness, conducting research, and monitoring populations. Most of the work takes place in the Yukon, with a few sites in northern British Columbia. Researchers will collect data on pika presence, biology, and habitat to understand their adaptability and refine where they live.

Project title: Evaluating placer mine habitat reclamation for avian communities to inform land-use planning in the Yukon
Recipient: Wildlife Conservation Society Canada
Funding amount: $184,967
Project description: This project continues efforts to evaluate how well placer mine reclamation restores bird communities by comparing reclaimed sites with undisturbed reference areas. It combines satellite data and local knowledge to determine reclamation timelines and will continue bird community analyses for one additional year. The project will also produce a validated dataset of disturbance and reclamation dates, essential for understanding bird recovery.

Project title: Characterizing and mapping of climate-change refugia and enduring features, and co-development of a monitoring framework, to enhance habitat protection and stewardship for priority species and ecosystems in Yukon South Beringia
Recipient: Wildlife Conservation Society Canada
Funding amount: $166,221
Project description: This two-year project will identify climate change refugia for woodland caribou, northern mountain population, and develop recommendations for integrating the conservation of these refugia into regional land-use plans. The project will also conduct outreach emphasizing the local First Nation cultural importance of woodland caribou and highlight the importance of conserving refugia to ensure long-term survival of this species at risk within the Yukon.