In Canada, more than 200 bird species and over 50 species of mammals depend on wetlands for food and habitat. Canadian wetlands provide enormous benefits to people by protecting against floods, controlling erosion, improving water quality, feeding water into streams, replenishing groundwater supplies and supporting a host of recreational activities. These benefits translate into billions of dollars in economic benefits for Canadians each year.
That is why, as part of the National Conservation Plan, the Government of Canada is taking action to conserve and restore wetlands by supporting projects under a new $50-million National Wetland Conservation Fund (NWCF). The NWCF will support projects that aim to restore degraded or lost wetlands, enhance degraded wetlands, help identify areas where restoration should be prioritized and monitor the impacts of these efforts through scientific assessments.
The Fund will be administered by Environment Canada over a five-year period starting in 2014-15.
Project Funding Priorities
- Restoration and enhancement of wetland ecological goods and services in areas where wetland degradation or loss has been high, drainage continues to be high and/or where further risk of wetland loss is elevated.
- Restoration and enhancement of wetlands in targeted areas based on existing priority planning processes such as: Provincially Significant Wetlands; key habitat within Bird Conservation Regions; priority areas as outlined in Habitat Joint Venture Implementation Plans and in accordance with the goals of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan; candidate, proposed, or final Critical Habitat Areas under the federal Species at Risk Act;andWatershed Management Plans.
- Science activities in support of wetland conservation through improving wetland inventory, wetland monitoring and our understanding of ecological goods and services provided by wetlands.
Program Requirements
Eligible recipients under the Fund include Aboriginal organizations and communities, non-governmental organizations, individuals, universities, conservation authorities, private corporations and provincial Crown Corporations, as well as provincial, territorial and municipal governments.
The restoration and enhancement activities must take place on private lands, municipal lands, provincial Crown lands or Aboriginal lands in Canada.
Project proponents must involve funding partners and demonstrate the ability to match federal funds, one to one, with funds from non-federal sources (i.e., the private sector, conservation organizations, provincial/territorial/regional/municipal funds; can include cash and in-kind support).
Medium-sized projects with federal contributions in the $50,000 to $250,000 range are preferred. The program will have a maximum National Wetland Conservation Fund federal contribution of $500,000 a year per project. Multi-year projects (maximum of three years) are eligible.
The National Conservation Plan
In May 2014, Prime Minister Harper launched a $252 million National Conservation Plan which builds on and coordinates conservation efforts across the country with an emphasis on enabling Canadians to conserve and restore lands and waters in and around their communities while making it easier for citizens in cities to connect with nature.
More information about the National Conservation Plan can be found here.
More information about the National Wetlands Conservation Fund can be found here.
For more information about wetlands, click here.
