Ottawa, Ontario - Canada’s natural landscapes inspire pride from coast to coast to coast: Canadians love our mountains, lakes and rivers, as well as our coasts, forests, and wildlife. Nature is important not only to our cultural identity but also to our health and prosperity. That’s why the Government of Canada is doubling the amount of protected nature in Canada’s lands and oceans by 2020.
Today, Environment and Climate Change Canada launched the Target 1 Challenge, part of Canada’s Nature Fund, which will provide up to $175 million for projects that help meet Canada’s biodiversity target 1 of protecting 17 per cent of land and inland water by 2020. Federal funding will be matched by partners, doubling financial support to protect Canada’s nature. This funding is part of Budget 2018’s historic $1.3 billion investment in nature. Funding through the Target 1 Challenge is open to projects led by provinces, territories, Indigenous Peoples, and the private and not-for-profit sectors that expand or strengthen Canada’s network of protected and conserved areas.
These projects will contribute to Canada’s goal of doubling the amount of nature protected across the country. Projects will also support sustainable economic growth and job creation and will demonstrate global leadership in protecting biodiversity.
The application process includes an expression of interest and final proposal phase. Interested organizations are encouraged to submit an initial expression of interest by January 31, 2019. Final proposals must be submitted by midnight, Pacific Standard Time, on March 15, 2019. Interested organizations are encouraged to review the guidebook for applicants at Canada.ca/Nature-Legacy.
Source : Government of Canada