By the Numbers

1962

The year the Nature Conservancy of Canada is born with a mission to take direct, private action to protect natural spaces and promote conservation.

15 million reasons to celebrate nature

• Since 1962, NCC has contributed to the conservation of more than 15M hectares, coast to coast to coast.

• 2M hectares : NCC direct conservation with partners

• > 400,000 hectares of which are managed by NCC

• 13M hectares is the ripple effect of our work: impact through influence.

That’s equivalent to:

• almost 5X the size of Vancouver Island
• 26X size of PEI
• 5X size of Belgium
• 23 Banff National Parks
• about 700 hectares conserved a day, every day, since 1962
• more than 4,300 NHL-sized hockey rinks a day, every day since NCC incorporated in 1962
  
  

What counts?

When and where NCC’s direct actions result in a protected/conserved area, we count the land in our impact statement. As a result, we measure about 2 million hectares of direct conservation achievements (lands acquired, conserved and under stewardship), and 13 million hectares where our direct actions have enabled partners to achieve conservation impact.

To measure our impact, NCC assigns each parcel of land or water conserved to one of nine conservation categories. The size of each parcel is tallied according to whether it was directly achieved by NCC or supports a partner’s conservation achievement.  

• In cases of joint ownership of fee simple and conservation agreement parcels, hectares are prorated as direct or partner-achieved, based on respective title interest. 
• Transfer of fee simple or conservation agreement parcels, originally 100 per cent owned by NCC but later transferred to conservation partners, are tallied as direct achievements.
• All parcels acquired by partners following a funding contribution from NCC are tallied fully as partner achievements. 
• Securement of resource rights (surface or subsurface) that result in the establishment of a conserved area are tallied as direct achievements and any additional area subsequently conserved is tallied as a partner achievement.
• Fixed-term formal agreements (e.g. Crown leases, grass banking agreements) that achieve conservation outcomes on partner lands are tallied fully as partner achievements during the term of the agreement.

The past five years have seen an unprecedented increase in the pace of our work, particularly in large-scale projects. This includes our work to help lift private rights in lands (timber, oil, gas), thereby removing impediments to conservation. In particular, we now count the Birch River Wildland Provincial Park in Alberta and the new Tallurutiup Imanga National Marine Conservation Area in Nunavut among major projects that have benefited from our work to remove private rights.

250

The number of species at risk*  taxa** that occur on NCC-owned properties (about one-third of Canada's terrestrial and freshwater species).

* Species at risk includes COSEWIC-assessed and SARA-listed taxa (does not include data deficient or species listed as "not at risk"). COSEWIC — Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. SARA — Species at Risk Act.

** Species, sub species, populations.

Making the most of your donation

Land, programs* and endowments: 81%

Administration: 9%

Philanthropy and marketing: 8%

Communications: 2%

*Investing in science and technology to acquire conservation lands and maintain the plants and animals on these lands.