The Natural Heritage Conservation Program
The Natural Heritage Conservation Program (NHCP) is a national program that establishes new protected and conserved areas by working with partners across Canada to secure ecologically sensitive private lands and private interests in lands.
This investment in nature is an important step in achieving Canada’s target of conserving 30 per cent of lands and waters in Canada by 2030. It is also a vital contribution to meeting our commitment to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030 and achieve full recovery for nature by 2050.
The Natural Heritage Conservation Program’s Objectives
The Natural Heritage Conservation Program focuses on two objectives:
- contribute to protecting 30 per cent of lands and waters in Canada by 2030; and
- contribute to strengthening protection and recovery of species at risk and their habitats
In addition to protecting biodiversity, protected areas also play an important role in supporting society through the goods and services they provide, including for climate change adaptation and mitigation.
Protecting ecologically sensitive land and species: A success story still being written
To date, the Government of Canada has invested more than $500 million in the Natural Heritage Conservation ProgramNote de bas de page 1 , with matching contributions of more than $1 billion raised by the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Ducks Unlimited Canada and the country’s land trust community.
By working with our partners, the NHCP has so far protected more than 840,000 hectares, an area approaching twice the size of Prince Edward Island, of ecologically sensitive lands which act as habitat for more than 250 species listed under the Species at Risk Act. The protected and conserved lands include grasslands, forests, lakes, and wetlands.
Many projects include donations of ecologically sensitive land through Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program. Made possible by the terms of the Income Tax Act of Canada and the Quebec Taxation Act, this program offers significant tax benefits to landowners who donate land or a partial interest in land to a qualified recipient. Recipients ensure that the land’s biodiversity and environmental heritage are conserved in perpetuity.
How we’re funding the Natural Heritage Conservation Program
In Budget 2018, the Government of Canada made an historic investment of $1.3 billion in nature conservation, known as the Nature Legacy—the single-largest investment in nature conservation in Canadian history. The investment in the Natural Heritage Conservation Program, part of the Nature Legacy initiative, was $123 million over four years. Thanks to this initial funding, more than 241,000 hectares of Canada’s ecologically sensitive land has been protected and conserved.
In December 2022, the Government of Canada announced an additional investment of up to $90 million, over three years to secure an additional 180,000 hectares.
The NHCP is delivered through agreements with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Ducks Unlimited Canada, and Wildlife Habitat Canada, in collaboration with the Alliance of Canadian Land Trusts on behalf of local and regional land trusts across the country.
Information for land trusts is available on Wildlife Habitat Canada’s Land Trusts Conservation Fund website.
Matching Funds for a Bigger Impact
For every dollar of federal funding, the Natural Heritage Conservation Program matches a minimum of $1.50 from non-federal sources, including in-kind matching, such as land donations from private landowners and corporations, including ecological gifts. Between 2023 and 2026, at least $225 million in total funding will go to further improve Canada’s natural environment and create healthier habitats for species at risk.
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