The Land Stewardship and Habitat Restoration Program is an incentive program offered by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, providing direct financial payments to individuals, aboriginal groups and other organizations to complete projects on private lands. Projects may be funded up to C$20,000, in match, to manage and restore habitat, and 1:1 match is required. Projects should be linked to existing conservation or stewardship efforts. Funding for Species at Risk (SAR) projects should be through the Species at Risk Stewardship Fund (SARSF) or Species at Risk Farm Incentive Program (SARFIP).

While the focus of this program is not on monarchs or pollinators, projects funded in 2015 include those addressing creation and restoration of pollinator habitat, and the program’s emphasis is on projects that focus on priorities already identified in landscape-level conservation plans, some of which may already include monarchs or pollinators. Eligible activities include habitat restoration or enhancement, and buffer establishment, among others. In-kind match is allowed, but projects exclusively funded by in-kind match may score lower during proposal review. Multi-year projects are allowed, although funding is approved on an annual basis and projects must be resubmitted every year to be evaluated for continued funding (OMNRF 2015).

• Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (OMNRF). 2015. Land Stewardship and Habitat Restoration Program. ontario.ca/page/land-stewardship-and-habitat-restoration-program-guidelines.

Amount of the Incentive
Up to C$20,000 in match to manage and restore habitat, and 1:1 match is required.

Related Institutional Objectives or Targets
Loi sur les espèces en péril

Keywords: direct financial payment, enhancement, restoration