Land securement grants

Securing critical ecosystems and habitats for conservation is an important way to help conserve and enhance fish and wildlife in watersheds impacted by BC Hydro dams.

The FWCP funds land securement projects and supports a partnership approach in our Coastal, Columbia, and Peace regions. Since this funding began in 2002, our grants have helped conserve:

• 661 hectares in our Coastal Region
• 78,948 hectares in our Columbia Region
• 991 hectares in our Peace Region

That’s a total of 80,600 hectares of fish and wildlife habitat that has been conserved. (Note: one hectare equals about 2.5 acres.)

IMPORTANT! Due to the time-sensitive nature of real-estate transactions, grant applications for land securement purchases can be discussed with our region managers at any time of year.

• Land securement grant applications must clearly align with a priority action(s) in our action plans.
• All FWCP-supported property acquisitions must be led by an organization with the capacity to develop, fund, and implement a long-term conservation land management plan.

Please reach out to the appropriate FWCP region manager to discuss your proposed land securement project idea and learn more about applying for FWCP funding.

Regional guidance for land securement grants

Coastal Region

• Applications can include purchase costs, transaction costs, land management start-up costs, and endowment costs, and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Partnerships and co-funders are important. Our Coastal Region grants are limited to no more than 33% of the total purchase price.
• The board may consider land securement outside our Coastal Region watershed boundaries if management objectives are clearly aligned with FWCP objectives, and land securement opportunities within the watersheds are exhausted.

Columbia Region

• Land securement grant applications can include budget items for property purchase costs, legal costs, and upfront stewardship costs that are deemed urgent to address within six months of land purchase (please clearly describe and provide rationale).
• Long-term endowment costs are not eligible.
• A land securement grant application for FWCP funding to support land acquisition for conservation can include immediate stewardship costs—no more than 5% of the funding requested.
• Requests to fund stewardship activities on existing conservation properties must be received during the annual grant intake.
• Collaboration with and support from the Kootenay Conservation Program’s land securement team is recommended.
• It’s important to have early and meaningful engagement with partner First Nations. Please contact our Columbia Region manager for more information.

Peace Region

• Please refer to the Peace Region Cross-Ecosystem Action Plan. Actions #3 and #4 provide grant applicants with information on the preferred approach on how to apply for a land securement project.