Ontario’s Species at Risk Stewardship Program

Stewardship: caring for the land now and for the future

We all have a responsibility towards the province's wild species. With this in mind Ontario is taking a “stewardship first” approach to the protection and recovery of species at risk. 

A group learns about what they can do to help Species at Risk.
Photo by Marion Daniels, OMNR

The ESA 2007 places a high priority on stewardship and engaging individuals in protection and recovery. The Species at Risk Stewardship Program is a cornerstone of the Endangered Species Act, 2007. The program includes:

• education and outreach
• incentive programs to support private landowners, and
• funding for stewardship activities

Many of Ontario's species at risk are found on private lands.  Voluntary conservation efforts are therefore essential to species at risk recovery. The Ontario Species at Risk Stewardship Fund supports greater public involvement in all kinds of species at risk protection and recovery activities.  The fund provides $18 million to eligible projects over four years (2007 – 2011). 

The purpose of the fund is to inspire and encourage people to become involved in species at risk recovery, and build on the good work already done by groups and individuals.

The types of activities that may be eligible for funding include:

• Outreach and education to increase awareness about species at risk and encourage stewardship.
• Recovery actions, habitat improvement and protection projects,
• Surveys, inventories and monitoring.

The Stewardship Fund is open to individuals and groups across the province, including: 

• Landowners
• Farmers
• Aboriginal peoples
• Academic institutions
• Conservation organizations
• Industries
• Municipalities
• Stewardship Councils 

More than 80 projects across Ontario received funding in 2007.  Examples of past projects include:

• mapping tallgrass prairie habitat,
• restoring of habitat by an aggregates company, and
• designing a wireless system to track "at risk" turtles.

Please consult the Species at Risk Stewardship Fund Guidelines for eligibility criteria.  Application forms and guidelines are available online or by calling 705-755-1208. 

For more ideas on ways that you can be involved with species at risk recovery, please visit the What you can do section of our website.