Protecting land is a collaborative endeavour that reaches far beyond political borders. North American wildlife knows no borders – many of the birds and other wildlife that live in the United States require habitat in Canada for survival. Because of this, conservation efforts both in Canada and the United Sates are essential.

Migratory bird species such as piping plover and northern pintail spend their winters in the U.S. but travel north of the border to breed. Bringing U.S. donations into the world of Canadian conservation helps Canadian organizations to effectively safeguard North American bird abundance. It is estimated that close to 70% of all North American waterfowl breed in Canada’s wetlands. Yet, Canadian wetlands are under increasing stress, facing drainage from agriculture and urban development.

There is currently an incredible leverage opportunity for U.S. donors to support wildlife conservation in Canada. Through partnerships with the U.S and Canadian governments, as well as Canadian land conservation organizations, most U.S. dollars donated to AFCN for wetland conservation work in Canada can be matched 3 to 1. In other words, each U.S. $1 donation can provide $4 of habitat conservation as a result of the leverage capacity of the NAWCA grant program.

Donations from U.S. citizens, residents, taxpayers, corporations or foundations are needed in order to unlock these U.S. federal funds. Without your U.S. donations, the available funds remain inaccessible and critical conservation work that supports migratory birds and their habitat cannot be accomplished.

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About the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA)

Since 1989, North American Wetlands Conservation Act grants are administered by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife service and support  organizations that carry out conservation projects to protect wetland and associated upland habitat for migratory birds, including waterfowl, and other wetland-dependant species in the United States, Canada and Mexico.  NAWCA grants support habitat conservation to increase bird populations and wetland habitat – but wetlands protected by NAWCA also provide valuable benefits such as flood control, reducing coastal erosion, improving water and air quality, and recharging ground water. Learn more about NAWCA here.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) – AFCN’s main partner – is one Canadian organization currently delivering NAWCA activities in Canada. NAWCA funds support a variety of conservation-related activities including the protection, enhancement and long-term management of wetlands and other migratory bird habitat located along the continent’s four major flyways.

Annual NAWCA appropriations in the US budget have recently increased.  In June 2019, the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission approved $63 million in funding for NAWCA conservation projects across North America. Your U.S. donations are needed to ensure that Canadian partners can benefit from these funds.