Environment Canada's Ecological Gifts Program

One of the greatest threats to biodiversity is the destruction of habitat for human development projects. Environment Canada's Ecological Gifts Program, created in 1995, provides tax incentives to citizens who want to protect wild lands. Private and corporate land owners can receive a tax deduction equal to the value of their gift for donations of ecologically sensitive land or for setting up special property rights restrictions limiting development of the land - in this way property owners may remain on their land while it is protected. Groups can also receive tax benefits by purchasing land for protection. Environment Canada coordinates the needs of recipient organizations to the wishes of donors and makes sure that the agencies are committed to protecting the land in perpetuity.

In the ten years since the inception of the Ecological Gifts Program, nearly 500 donations have been made, with an estimated value over $141 million. These gifts have secured nearly 45,000 hectares of wilderness habitat all across Canada. More than 160 environmental charities have been approved by the Minister of the Environment to take part in the program. Donations to federal, provincial, territorial and municipal government agencies involved in the protection of ecologically sensitive land are also included. Some of the names on the list are familiar to most - large national organizations like Evergreen, Ducks Unlimited and The Nature Conservancy Canada. But groups from every province and territory can be found on the list - one is likely to focus on the habitat most dear to the potential donor.

Links:

• Protect Your Land – Get a Tax Break from Environment Canada


• A Legacy for Tomorrow, a Tax Break Today an earlier entry about the program from Environment Canada (2002)


• Ecological Gifts Program a listing of environmental charities eligible for the Ecological Gift Program from the Canadian Wildlife Service of Environment Canada


• Habitat and Stewardship from the Canadian Wildlife Service


• What Can You Do to Protect Biodiversity? from the Canadian Biodiversity Network


• Species at Risk a database of species at risk in Canada from Environment Canada

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 3:13 PM on February 16, 2006