Phase 1 Projects:
Securing a Community Mandate
This phase focuses on building community readiness: engaging members, gathering baseline data, and developing a shared vision for conserving priority areas. It lays the groundwork for Nations to enter government‑to‑government planning with clear mandates, partnerships, and identified capacity needs.
Upper Widzin Kwa Indigenous Protected Conservation Area
Wet'suwet'en Treaty Office Society, Wet'suwet'en Fisheries and Wildlife
Project (Phase) Timeline
1 year
Conservation Values
Sockeye salmon, Chinook salmon, Coho salmon, and Steelhead trout.
Protecting the Heart of the Okanagan: snpink'tn-Led Conservation from IR #1 to Brent Mountain
Project (Phase) Timeline
1 year
Conservation Values
Mute deer, American Badger, Black Bear, Bighorn Sheep, Westhorn Rattlesnake.
Gitxsan Conservation Area Assessments, Connections and Pathways: Babine and Upper Skeena Watershed
Gitxsan Laxyip Management Office
Project (Phase) Timeline
2 years
Conservation Values
Old Growth, Underrepresented Englelmann Spruce-Supalpine Fir and Interior Cedar-Hemlock.
Ndi yun neghuhinli – We are the Caretakers of the Land, Wildlife Population and Land Use Plan
Project (Phase) Timeline
2 years
Conservation Values
Old Growth, Salmon, Caribou, Moose.
The North Cascades Joint Nations Grizzly Bear Conservation Initiative
Project (Phase) Timeline
1 year
Conservation Values
Grizzly Bears, Salmon, Old Growth Cedar.
A Lhoosk'uz Dené Indigenous Protected area to secure caribou, biodiversity and cultural resources
Project (Phase) Timeline
2 years
Conservation Values
Grizzlies, Fisher, Caribou, Old Growth, Whitebark Pine.
Identifying Prophet River’s extant culturally significant areas in the 2023 Donnie Creek Fire
Prophet River First Nation
Project (Phase) Timeline
2 years
Sc'ianew Tribal Park Project
Project (Phase) Timeline
1 year
Conservation Values
Old Growth and critical habitat for Barn Owl, Sharp-tailed Snake.
Project (Phase) Timeline
2.5 years
Conservation Values
Salmon, and over 60 species at risk.
Chemainus Watershed Conservation Strategy
Project (Phase) Timeline
1.1 years
Conservation Values
Salmon, Beaver, Roosevelt Elk, Vancouver Island Marmot, Golden Eagle, Black Bear, Western Red Cedar, Old Growth.
Gwawaenuk Tribe Protection Areas (IPAs): Analysis & Identification (LUP)
Project (Phase) Timeline
2 years
Conservation Values
Old Growth, Marbled Murrelet, occurances of American Goshawk, and Red-legged Frog.
Project (Phase) Timeline
1 year
TWN IPCA Exploration: Governance and Stewardship in TWN Territory
Project (Phase) Timeline
1.5 years
Llenlleney’ten Tmícw Conservancy
Project (Phase) Timeline
1 year
Conservation Values
Underrepresented Interior Douglas Fir, Old Growth.
Long-term, Holistic and Respectful Management of the Land and Water through Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCA) in the shíshálh Nation swiya
Project (Phase) Timeline
2 years
Conservation Values
Old Growth Cedar, Sponge reefs, Rock Fish.
Nanwakolas Forest Conservation Initiative on Vancouver Island
Nanwakolas Council / Tlowitsis
Project (Phase) Timeline
2 years
Conservation Values
Old Growth, 5 species and occurances for 16 species at risk.
Tautri – Rosita Conservation Area Community Visioning, Capacity Building, and Partnership Support
Tsilhqot’in National Government & Tl’etinqox First Nation
Project (Phase) Timeline
2 years
Conservation Values
Wetlands, Salmon; Migratory waterfowl and endangered American White Pelican, and Moose.
Phase 2 Projects:
Conservation Planning and Agreements
This phase supports the technical and relational work required to reach conservation designation agreements, including government-to-government negotiations, scenario modelling, stewardship planning, legal work, and public or stakeholder engagement. The goal is to establish durable conservation designations* that meet international standards and advance First Nations governance or co‑governance.
Salmon Parks Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas
Mowachaht-Muchalaht First Nations
Project (Phase) Timeline
3 years
Conservation Values
Salmon, Old Growth, Numerous rare and endangered species including 46 bird species, 16 fish species, 14 mammals, 10 molluscs, and 68 plant species.
c̓əl c̓áʔs (Tsul-Tsaals – Head of Pitt Lake) Reclaiming Responsibility & Revitalizing Balance
Project (Phase) Timeline
2 years
Conservation Values
Old Growth, Grizzly Bear, Roosevelt Elk, Mountain Goat, Salmon.
Sxis-Kweignat (Carter Bay- Bolin Bay)
Project (Phase) Timeline
2 years
Conservation Values
Old Growth, Salmon, Grizzly Bears, Wolverines, Northern Goshawks, Marbled Murrelets.
yiχmɛt toqʷanan (to take care of toqʷanan) IPCA Development Project
Project (Phase) Timeline
3 years
Conservation Values
Old Growth, Salmon, Clam Gardens, Grizzly Bears, Black Bears, Goshawk, Mountain Goat, Marbled Murrelet, Wolverine.
MakeWay Charitable Society - Dasiqox Nexwagwez7an
Project (Phase) Timeline
3 years
Conservation Values
Salmon, under-represented Engelmann Spruce-Subalpine Fir, Interior Douglas-fir, Montane Spruce, and Ponderosa Pine, Old Growth Critical Habitat and occurrences of 15 species/ecological communities at risk.
nʔaysnúlaʔxʷ (Ashnola) Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA)
Lower Similkameen Indian Band
Project (Phase) Timeline
5 years
Conservation Values
Lewis's Woodpecker, Mountain Beaver.
Pure Lake Biodiverse Area Identification
Council of the Haida Nation
Project (Phase) Timeline
2 years
Conservation Values
Old Growth, Critical Habitat for Marbled Murrelet and occurrences for 3 species at risk, low elevation Red and Yellow Cedar.
Multi-Nation, Indigenous-led Conservation of the Skagit Headwaters
Sto:lo Research and Resource Management Centre
Project (Phase) Timeline
1.5 years
Conservation Values
Old Growth; Critical Habitat for Spotted Owl, and Whitebark Pine. Reported occurances of Mountain Beaver.
Phase 3 Projects:
Long‑Term Stewardship
This phase invests in the planning and long‑term stewardship needed to care for newly conserved lands. It strengthens guardian programs, monitoring, restoration efforts, and the sharing of cultural and ecological knowledge across generations. Through dedicated endowment funds, communities gain lasting capacity, supporting healthy ecosystems, stable stewardship jobs, and long‑term community well‑being as conservation goals are achieved over time.
Qat'muk Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA)
$220,000 capacity grant **
Project (Phase) Timeline
2 years
Conservation Values
Woodland Caribou (Southern Mountain population), and Whitebark Pine.
Wilp Gwininitxw Protected Area – Planning for Multi-Generational Sustainability
Wilp Gwininitxw Land and Resource Management Society
Project (Phase) Timeline
0
Conservation Values
Salmon, Old Growth; Recognized as a climate refugium or sanctuary.
Scaling Up Habitat Restoration in Klinse-Za: Towards Self-Sustaining Caribou and a Restored Seasonal Round
Project (Phase) Timeline
2 years
Conservation Values
Klinse-za Mountain Caribou, Fishers, Bull Trout, Grizzly Bears, Wolverines.
Clayoquot Sound First Nation Endowment Funds
Project (Phase) Timeline
0
Conservation Values
Marbled Murrelet, Northern Goshawk, Wolverine.
The Meziadin Salmon Habitat Conservation Plan
Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs
$3M contribution to Endowment Funds for Ahousaht, Hesquiaht and Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations
Project (Phase) Timeline
1 year
Conservation Values
Salmon, watershed health, climate resilience, and carbon sequestration; High biodiversity intactness.
Forest Enhancement and Stewardship
Council of the Haida Nation
$250,000 capacity grant **
Project (Phase) Timeline
2 years
Conservation Values
Northern Goshawk, Haida Ermine, Ancient Murrelet, Cassin's Auklet.
zuminstm e tmíxʷ kt ƛ̓əq̓ƛ̓áq̓tn̓
$250,000 capacity grant **
Project (Phase) Timeline
2 years
Conservation Values
Endangered Stein-Nahatlatch Grizzly population, Elk, Deer, Mountain Goat, Mountain Beaver.
Biodiverse Area Identification
The BC Conservation Fund is improving how we understand and protect biodiversity across the province. This work strengthens access to high‑quality data, enhances tools for identifying key ecological areas, and deepens insight into the pressures facing species and habitats.
Together, these advances support smarter, more targeted conservation actions that help safeguard biodiversity and build climate resilience.
Seed Bank for Rare and Culturally Significant Plants
Coastal Douglas-fir Conservation Partnership (BC Conservation Fund on behalf)
Project (Phase) Timeline
2 years
Action for Adaptation Biodiversity Atlas
University of British Columbia Botanical Garden Coastal Douglas-fir Conservation Partnership
Project (Phase) Timeline
1.5 years
Identifying biodiverse areas in BC/Biodiverse Area Identification for building and conserving nature’s resilience
Project (Phase) Timeline
1 year
Key Biodiversity Areas in B.C.
Project (Phase) Timeline
2 years
Invasive Species Management Toolkit for Area-Based Conservation
Invasive Species Council of BC
Project (Phase) Timeline
2 years
Integrating biodiversity data in BC to facilitate decision-making
The University of British Columbia Department of Zoology
Project (Phase) Timeline
2.5 years
Updating grassland boundaries and losses throughout BC
Grasslands Conservation Council of BC
Project (Phase) Timeline
2 years
From Knowledge to Action: Protecting Biodiversity in the Thompson Okanagan
Thompson-Nicola Conservation Collaborative
Project (Phase) Timeline
1 year
Mapping a future for birds: Optimizing land protection and management for bird conservation in BC
Project (Phase) Timeline
2 years
British Columbia Plant & Lichen Biodiversity Gap Analysis
Enlichened Consulting Ltd.
Project (Phase) Timeline
1 year
Climate-informed Conservation Planning for British Columbia
Project (Phase) Timeline
1 year
Wetland Ecosystem Services Protocol Development and Implementation
Project (Phase) Timeline
1 year
Traditional Lands, Sustainable Futures: Building Community Resilience through Collaborative Shoreline Assessments
Project (Phase) Timeline
2 years
Identifying globally unique ecosystems in BC as urgent conservation targets
Wildlife Conservation Society Canada
Project (Phase) Timeline
1.5 years
Community-based forest conservation planning model
Project (Phase) Timeline
1 year
