HCTF Approves More Than $7.5 Million For Fish, Wildlife And Habitat Conservation Projects

The Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation has approved 124 conservation projects for the 2026-27 funding year, committing more than $7.5 million toward fish, wildlife and habitat initiatives across British Columbia.

 

According to a recent Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation release, the approved projects span a range of conservation priorities through HCTF’s Fish & Wildlife Grant program, along with its Quality Waters, Conservation Lands Operations and Maintenance, Fisheries Operations and Maintenance, Land Stewardship and Invasive Mussel Monitoring grant programs.

The funding also includes support through the Caribou Habitat Restoration Fund, as well as priority species funds focused on white sturgeon and wild sheep.

 

Nearly half of HCTF’s annual revenue comes from conservation surcharges attached to freshwater fishing, hunting, guide outfitting and trapping licences sold in BC Additional funding is provided through partnerships, provincial government contributions, court awards and endowments.

 

According to HCTF CEO Dan Buffett, demand for conservation funding continues to grow across the province.

 

“We continue to receive a growing number of funding requests from project leaders,” Buffett said in the release. “This year’s applications highlighted a growing gap between available resources and the number of strong organizations ready to deliver conservation projects. Unfortunately, the number of high-quality proposals outweighed the available funding, leaving several strong applications unfunded, despite their clear conservation value.”

 

HCTF also acknowledged additional support this year from the province of British Columbia and the Hancock Wildlife Foundation for projects focused on forests, wetlands and grasslands.

 

Among the approved projects are several initiatives targeting habitat restoration and species recovery across BC.

Funding highlights include:

• $105,620 to reduce road densities in the south Skeena region to improve secure habitat for grizzly bears
• $12,290 to restore a fishway on Hastings Creek in North Vancouver, improving access to spawning and rearing habitat for trout and coho salmon
• $58,256 to support Fraser Valley grassland raptors through habitat restoration, nest site protection and raptor-friendly land-use practices
• $166,889 for Stone’s sheep habitat enhancement using prescribed burns in current and historical range
• $67,428 to improve the Deadman River resistivity counter used for steelhead enumeration
• $59,570 over three years for enhancement and maintenance of the ȾIKEL wetland on the Saanich Peninsula
• $252,188 over three years for restoration work in core North Columbia caribou habitat, including rehabilitation of 40 kilometres of resource roads

 

According to HCTF, additional funding announcements for conservation stewardship, education initiatives and scholarship recipients are expected later this year.

 

The full list of approved projects is available through Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.