Overview

One of the Government of Canada's mandates is the conservation of nature, including the recovery of species at risk. In this regard, the Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk (HSP) provides funds for Canadian projects that help protect and recover species at risk.

This page provides information on requirements and priorities for making an application to the HSP for terrestrial^{Footnote 1}species at risk. Applications will be screened and evaluated to ensure eligibility criteria are met and funding priorities are considered.

Regional HSP Coordinators are your main contact for all your project questions, including program priorities and Environment and Climate Change Canada's (ECCC) Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) funding options. For program information, you can also email the national HSP inbox at PIH-HSP@ec.gc.ca.

Eligible recipients

The following are eligible for funding under the HSP:

• Canadian non-governmental organizations
• Canadian community groups
• Canadian Indigenous organizations and communities
• Canadian individuals
• Canadian private corporations and businesses
• Canadian educational institutions
• Canadian provincial, territorial and municipal governments
• Canadian provincial Crown corporations

If your proposed project is planned to take place on Indigenous reserve lands or other lands set aside for Indigenous Peoples, either entirely or partially, and you are not Indigenous or have no rights to the lands (for example, through a permit, lease, or as a Certificate of Possession holder), you must provide signed letter(s) of support from the affected Indigenous community.

Federal departments, federal agencies and federal Crown corporations are not eligible to receive HSP funds.

Geographic location

Project activities must take place in Canada, on:

• private land
• provincial Crown land
• lands under the administration and control of the Commissioner of Yukon, the Northwest Territories, or Nunavut
• Indigenous land
  • reserves and lands set aside for the use and benefit of Indigenous Peoples under the Indian Act or under section 91 (24) of the Constitution Act, 1867
  • other lands directly controlled by Indigenous Peoples (for example, land claim/treaty settlement lands and Métis Settlement lands)
  • lands where traditional food, social, and ceremonial activities (harvesting or other) are carried out by Indigenous Peoples

Eligible species

ECCC funds HSP projects on terrestrial species^{Footnote 1} at risk. The following species are eligible for funding under ECCC’s HSP:

• Species listed on schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act (SARA) (except those listed as extirpated).
• Species that have been designated by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) as endangered, threatened, or special concern but that are not listed on schedule 1 of SARA.

To be eligible, proposed projects must demonstrate how they contribute directly to the recovery objectives and population goals of target species. For the most up-to-date list of species on schedule 1 of SARA, as well as their recovery strategies, action plans or management plans, or to search for COSEWIC-assessed species and to obtain their status reports, please consult the Species at risk public registry.

If your project targets aquatic species at risk, visit the HSP for Aquatic Species at Risk administered by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Eligible activities

The Habitat Stewardship Program funds the following activities. More details can be found in the applicant guide.

• Habitat protection and securement
• Habitat improvement
• Species and habitat threat abatement
• Conservation planning
• Surveys, inventories and monitoring
• Outreach and education
• Project evaluation

Important:

• Activities must be closely linked to prescribed recovery actions in recovery strategies, action plans or management plans when available for SARA-listed species or in wildlife/conservation plans for COSEWIC-designated species at risk not listed on Schedule 1 of SARA.
• Activities not covered in the above list may be considered, subject to further review.
• The creation of promotional merchandise (such as hats or mugs) is not eligible for HSP funding.
• Scientific research activities, captive breeding, captive rearing, extirpated species reintroductions, the development of recovery strategies or action plans (including the identification of critical habitat, as required under SARA) are not eligible for HSP funding. However, HSP-funded activities can contribute to the content of recovery documents, such as through the collection of species data that can be used to inform on habitat needs, threat mitigation measures, etc.
• Habitat securement is not an eligible activity for HSP funding for for-profit recipients.

Priorities for 2025-2026

We review HSP funding priorities annually to ensure they align with the Government of Canada’s priorities. Please consult the list of regional priorities and other funding considerations below to determine whether your project has a better chance of being funded.

Although the HSP funds projects on target species, we recognize that actions for one or more of these species may benefit multiple other species. You can highlight this in your application.

Atlantic region (Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick)

• Leach’s Storm-Petrel, Atlantic population:
  • Actions to reduce the impact of artificial lighting in coastal communities and with local small craft fishers
• Piping Plover melodus subspecies:
  • Actions to address threats and reduce the impact of human activities and disturbance in beach habitats.
• Bicknell’s Thrush:
  • Actions to address threats and reduce the impact of human activities and disturbance in forest habitat, including habitat identification and protection, and implementation of best management practices for forestry.
• Bank Swallow, Barn Swallow, Chimney Swift:
  • Actions to address threats and reduce the impact of human activities and disturbance in nesting and other habitats, including through identification, protection, and restoration of nesting habitat and reducing the impacts of pesticide use on insect (food) availability.
• Monarch, Yellow-banded Bumble Bee:
  • Actions to address threats and reduce the impact of human activities and disturbance on a landscape scale, including through habitat management, enhancement, or restoration and the implementation of pollinator-friendly management practices. Small scale pollinator gardens will not be supported.
• Little Brown Myotis, Northern Myotis, Tri-coloured Bat:
  • Actions to address threats and reduce the impact of human activities and disturbance, including:
    • implementation of best/bat-friendly management practices and conservation strategies, and/or
    • coordination of standardized conservation planning, wildlife health and issues management on a regional scale.
• Boreal Felt Lichen, Atlantic population; Boreal Felt Lichen, Boreal population; Vole Ears Lichen; Black-foam Lichen; Blue Felt Lichen; Eastern Waterfan; Frosted Glass-whiskers, Atlantic population; Wrinkled Shingle Lichen; White-rimmed Shingle Lichen:
  • Actions to address threats and reduce the impact of human activities and disturbance on a landscape scale.
• Wood Turtle, Snapping Turtle, Eastern Painted Turtle:
  • Actions to address threats to adult turtles and reduce the impact of human activities and disturbance in multiple habitats.

Quebec region

• The Quebec region does not prioritize one species at risk over another or specific actions for the 2025-2026 call for applications.

Ontario region

• Priority species: We will prioritize for funding projects that directly contribute to the protection and recovery of the following species at risk:
  • Amphibians:
    • Jefferson Salamander, including Unisexual Ambystoma, Jefferson Salamander dependent population
    • Western Chorus Frog, Great Lakes / St. Lawrence – Canadian Shield population
  • Arthropods:
    • Monarch
  • Birds:
    • Forest birds:
      • Cerulean Warbler
      • Louisiana Waterthrush
    • Shorebirds:
      • Buff-breasted Sandpiper
      • Hudsonian Godwit
      • Lesser Yellowlegs
      • Red Knot rufa subspecies
      • Red-necked Phalarope
    • Other species-at-risk birds:
      • Bank Swallow
      • Eastern Whip-poor-will
      • Grasshopper Sparrow, pratensis subspecies
      • Kirtland’s Warbler
      • Piping Plover circumcinctus subspecies
      • Red-headed Woodpecker
  • Reptiles:
    • Blanding’s Turtle, Great Lakes / St. Lawrence population
    • Eastern Foxsnake, Carolinian population
    • Spiny Softshell
  • Vascular plants:
    • Bird’s-foot Violet
    • Colicroot
    • Eastern Prairie Fringed Orchid
    • Hairy Valerian
    • Virginia Goat’s-rue
• Priority actions: We will prioritize for funding projects that include one or more of the following actions and that target one or more of the previous priority species:
  • Establishment or improvement of threatened or endangered reptile and amphibian habitat connectivity, particularly between breeding habitat and habitats used in other life cycle stages.
  • Creation, restoration and/or management of one or more of the following habitat types in Ontario:
    • Foraging habitats utilized by aerial insectivores;
    • Migratory and stopover habitats utilized by shorebirds, including reservoirs and wastewater treatment sites, agricultural lands, and wetlands; or,
    • Native grassland patches (greater than 6 hectares) that are linked to, or that will be established in close proximity to, existing native grasslands.
  • Creation of Monarch habitat (to support nectaring, breeding, and roosting) within close proximity to the southern Great Lakes. Sites must be at least 5 hectares in size, or contiguous parcels totaling at least 5 hectares. Pollinator gardens will not be supported.
  • Mitigation of threats to obligate and facultative forest and woodland birds that have been identified through targeted, in-person, species and habitat surveys. Proposed mitigation measures may be active (e.g., reforestation, invasive species management) or passive (e.g., securement, retention of key habitat features), depending on the species and the threats identified. Targeted, in-person surveys should be informed by existing data sources, for example, the Ontario Natural Heritage Information Centre and the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas.
  • Rehabilitation or re-naturalization of riparian habitats, including those within agricultural and municipal drainage systems.
  • Evaluation of how the size and distribution of species-at-risk plant populations have benefited from habitat protection and stewardship to inform future conservation efforts.

Prairie region (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta)

• Bird aerial insectivores (e.g., Chimney Swift, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Eastern Wood-pewee, Eastern Whip-poor-will, Common Nighthawk, Barn Swallow, Bank Swallow)
• Grassland bird species (e.g., Baird’s Sparrow; Chestnut-collared Longspur; McCown’s Longspur; Sprague’s Pipit; Lark Bunting; Loggerhead Shrike, Prairie population)
• Shorebird species (e.g., Piping Plover circumcinctus subspecies, Red Knot rufa subspecies, Long-billed Curlew, Yellow Rail)
• Bat species (e.g., Little Brown Myotis; Northern Myotis; Hoary Bat; Eastern Red Bat; Silver-haired Bat)
• Amphibian species (e.g., Northern Leopard Frog, Western Boreal/Prairie populations; Great Plains Toad; Western Toad, Calling and Non-calling populations; Western Tiger Salamander, Prairie / Boreal population)
• Plant species (e.g., Fascicled Ironweed; Buffalograss; Small White Lady’s-slipper)
• Invertebrate pollinator species (e.g., Mottled Duskywing, Boreal population; Gypsy Cuckoo Bumble Bee, Yellow-banded Bumble Bee, Western Bumble Bee occidentalis subspecies Suckley’s Cuckoo Bumble Bee)
• Monarch
• Dakota Skipper
• Species in sand-dune/sand-prairie habitat (e.g., Gold-edged Gem, Dusky Dune Moth, Pale Yellow Dune Moth, White Flower Moth, Gibson’s Big Sand Tiger Beetle, Tiny Cryptantha, Ord’s Kangaroo Rat)
• Species in the Interlake Region of Manitoba (e.g., Least Bittern, Golden-winged Warbler, Canada Warbler, Red-headed Woodpecker, Western Grebe)
• Species that are either burrow excavators or users (e.g., American Badger taxus subspecies, Burrowing Owl, Prairie Rattlesnake, Bullsnake)

Pacific region (British Columbia)

• Protection, securement and/or improvement of pollinator habitat threatened by herbicides and pesticides
• Protection, securement and/or improvement of wildlife trees threatened by logging and wood harvesting
• Protection, securement and/or improvement of riparian habitats threatened by residential and commercial development or by agriculture
• Increase of habitat connectivity and reduction of mortality in wildlife threatened by transportation corridors
• Reduction of canopy cover or fuel load of oak or conifer woodlands threatened by fire and fire suppression

Northern region (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut)

• The Northern region does not prioritize one species at risk over another or specific actions for the 2025-2026 call for applications.

Other funding considerations

HSP project applications also have a higher chance of success if they:

• implement high priority activities described in established recovery documents, established wildlife or habitat conservation plans
• increase or improve quality of critical habitat or other important habitat
• target multiple species and demonstrate a focus on ecosystem-based recovery initiatives
• involve collaboration among multiple partners, with priority being given to projects that involve a greater number of confirmed partners
• mitigate the threats of climate change to the target species
• contribute a high ratio of matching funds from non-federal sources
• have a high proportion of eligible matching funds in cash rather than in-kind
• have a well-developed workplan showing appropriate results for the investment, and a clear and appropriate plan to measure project results

Project funding and eligible expenses

Project funding

HSP funding is variable and dependent on project activities. To promote collaboration and multi-year projects, we suggest a minimum funding request of $25,000. Project funding typically ranges from $25,000 to $100,000 per year.

At least 80% of the program funds must be allocated to projects targeting species listed on schedule 1 of SARA. The remaining funds may be used for projects targeting eligible species not listed on schedule 1.

Important:

• You can request funding for a new project or for additional funds to an ongoing project that will continue in 2025-2026. Each request can be for one to five years. HSP projects cannot exceed 10 years in total.
• Non-Indigenous applicants will be required to obtain a minimum of 1:1 matching contributions from non-federal sources ($1 match for every $1 HSP funding).
• Indigenous applicants will be required to obtain a minimum of 0.20:1 matching contribution from non-federal sources ($0.20 match for every $1 HSP funding).
• Contributions can be financial or in-kind (equipment loans, donations of building materials, and volunteer labour).

Eligible expenses

Eligible expenses may include reasonable and properly itemized costs for:

• Salaries and wages
• Management and professional service expenditures (such as communications, Official Languages translation, accounting)
• Contractors
• Travel
• Material and supplies expenditures
• Purchase of capital assets
• Equipment rentals
• Costs associated with eligible land securement initiatives and projects such as land costs, legal charges, appraisals, surveys, baseline documentation, land transfer tax
• Overhead
• Printing, production, and distribution expenditures
• Vehicle rental and operation expenditures
• Hospitality expenditures
• Costs associated with an Indigenous participation or ceremony
• Monetary honoraria offered to Indigenous Elders and/or Knowledge Keepers related to specific participation activities
• Other expenditures
• Expenditures for preparing an independent financial accounting
• Further disbursement of ECCC funding to final recipients
• Lease of office space
• The purchase of eligible carbon offset credits for events, conferences, and travel

Only the expenses deemed to be reasonable for completing the project shall be considered eligible. Please note that costs associated with eligible land securement and purchase of capital assets are not eligible for for-profit recipients. The HSP Applicant guide gives more details about project expenses eligible for HSP funds.

Permits

If your project is successful in obtaining HSP funding, you will be responsible for obtaining all the appropriate permits associated with your project, including those required under SARA, the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994, and any other provincial or territorial acts that may apply, wherever the need for a permit is triggered. As permits take time to arrange, you should address this need several months before the project start date, to reduce delays once we announce funding decisions. See the Species at risk public registry for more information on SARA permits and the Migratory bird permits and registries for migratory bird permits.

Related links

Please see the following websites for additional information.

• Species at Risk Act
• Species at risk public registry
• COSEWIC
• Migratory bird permits and registries

Contact us

For general ECCC or Canadian Wildlife Service enquiries, please contact 1-800-668-6767 or ec.enviroinfo.ec@ec.gc.ca.

If you have any further questions, please contact the national HSP secretariat at PIH-HSP@ec.gc.ca, or contact your regional HSP coordinators. Please note that regional HSP coordinators are available to answer questions during regular business hours, local time.

Regional HSP coordinators

Atlantic region (Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick)
Email: SCF-Atl.PIH-CWS-Atl.HSP@ec.gc.ca

Quebec region
Jérôme Desrosiers
Email: jerome.desrosiers@ec.gc.ca
Telephone: 581-703-2747

Ontario region
Patrick Rivers
Email: patrick.rivers@ec.gc.ca
Telephone: 416-433-8322

Prairie region (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta)
Monika Tan
Email: monika.tan@ec.gc.ca
Telephone: 639-398-6402

Pacific region (British Columbia)
Adèle McKay
Email: adele.mckay@ec.gc.ca
Telephone: 343-572-1563

Northern region (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut)
Christopher Carli
Email: christopher.carli@ec.gc.ca
Telephone: 867-334-7393