Conservation Options
The most common ways to protect private land in BC are through Conservation Covenants, Land Donations, and Land Purchases
- A Conservation Covenant is a legal agreement between a landowner and authorized land trusts (usually two). This legal agreement remains attached to the title of the lands in perpetuity, and defines allowable and restricted uses for the property. With Conservation Covenants, the title of the property usually remains with the original landowner. Section 219 of the Land Titles Act outlines the legal framework for Conservation Covenants.
- Lands can also be donated to, or purchased by a land trust. The title will be transfered to the new landowner (the land trust) who will often develop management plans to outline management goals and strategies for the new acquisition. There are also various tax incentives which may benefit the orginal donor/seller.
More information can be found in the brochures listed below, and more specifically, from the land trust(s) that work in your area. To find out what lands are already protected in the province,
see The BC Lands In Trust Registy.
If you are interested or know someone who is interested in protecting or conserving lands in your area, below are links, and several options related to Conservation Covenants, Land Donations, and Tax Advantages/Implications.
- For Information about Land Trusts and Conservancies in General see our webpage "About BC's Land Trusts".
- If you are interested or curious about forming a new land trust in your area, check out the "Forming a Land Trust" page on this site.
- Information specific to Conservation Options, Conservation Covenants, Taxes and Conservation, and American Taxes and Conservation is available through our recently published brochures. The links below will open a .pdf copy of that particular brochure. To save a copy to your computer simply right-click and 'save target' to you computer. You will need 'Adobe Acrobat' reader to view these files (Link available in the navigation bar on the left).
- To make a financial contribution, you may use the link in the left navigation bar to Donate to the Land Trust Alliance of BC or visit the "Help BC's Land Trusts" page to get information on how your contribution can make a difference.
- As well, visit "The Current Land Trust Campaigns" page to get an idea of current projects that you may wish to participate in.
PROFESSIONAL ADVISORS
- You have a key role in helping your clients achieve their dreams for their land! Some may wish to donate some or all of their land to protect its ecological values. Others may want to create a life interest, a sale/lease back, or other mechanism to meet their needs. The toolbox for protecting Canada’s natural heritage is growing and LTABC can help you keep up-to-date. To find out more, click here.
US DONORS OR LANDOWNERS
- The American Friends of Canadian Land Trust have two useful resources found here:
Cross-Border Conservation Program - Overview for US Donors
Sample Donor Letter
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