The North American Wetlands Conservation Act

The North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) is a U.S. Act passed by the United States Congress in 1989 to conserve North American wetland ecosystems and waterfowl and the other migratory birds and fish and wildlife that depend upon such habitats.

Funds generated under the Act must be used for wetlands conservation projects - essentially the securement, restoration, enhancement and/or management of wetland ecosystems. Other activities related to conservation projects such as stewardship, evaluation and communications can be funded by NAWCA funds or by other associated funds, depending on the eligibility criteria. The Act encourages partnerships among public agencies and other interests as valuable mechanisms for wetland conservation, and proposals submitted for funding under the Act must include a substantial partnership component.

For more information on NAWCA, visit the Division of Bird Habitat Conservation, United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) website at http://birdhabitat.fws.gov/NAWCA/act.htm and http://birdhabitat.fws.gov/NAWCA/grants.htm.

Canada and NAWCA

Funds generated under the Act are made available to Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Each country has its own process and system for developing and submitting proposals that make use of these funds. Typically, approximately US $25 million per year is available to Canada under NAWCA for wetland conservation.

The NAWCA provides a mechanism to leverage NAWCA Funds with non-federal U.S. funds and provide this funding to Canada and Mexico in support of wetland projects that benefit waterfowl and other wetland-dependant or wetland-associated migratory birds. NAWCA proposals from Canada must have at least a one-to-one match of U.S non-federal funds to the NAWCA Funds being requested through the Act. Under the 2010 Amendment to the NAWCA, these "Match funds", can now include U.S. non-federal funding and/or Canadian (federal or non-federal) funding. It is important to note that the Canadian portion may comprise up to 50% of the total Match funds.

In addition to the NAWCA funds and the Match funds, "Other Contributions" from Canadian and other international partners are not legally required under NAWCA, but they do however indicate the level of support for the project to the NAWCC (U.S.) and enhance the project's viability. These contributions include any Canadian or international funding related to the project that is above and beyond the required Match Funding, and also any funding that will be used for project activities that are not eligible for NAWCA funding or Match funding.

In Canada, NAWCA proposals support a broad scale wetland conservation program. The federal government, Joint Ventures, provincial governments and NGO's each play a role in the proposal process. They develop 5-year and 15-year plans that set out measurable goals for wetland securement, enhancement and management, and determine the activities that will best help them reach these goals.

Figure 1 below illustrates the agencies and committees involved in the Canadian NAWCA proposal process. For further details, on the process, please click here.

For Summaries of Approved Canadian Projects:

2006-1 NAWCA Proposals

2006-3 NAWCA Proposals

2007-1 NAWCA Proposals

2007-3 NAWCA Proposals

2008-1 NAWCA Proposals

2008-3 NAWCA Proposals

2009-3 NAWCA Proposals

2010-3 NAWCA Proposals

2011-3 NAWCA Proposals

2012-3 NAWCA Proposals

2013-3 NAWCA Proposals

2014-3 NAWCA Proposals

2015-2 NAWCA Proposals

2016 NAWCA Proposals

2017 NAWCA Proposals

2018 NAWCA Proposals

Migratory Bird Treaty Act Gulf Spill Proposals

2014-3 MBTA Proposals

2015-2 MBTA Proposals

2016 MBTA Proposals

2017 MBTA Proposals

2018 MBTA Proposals

For Further Information

For further information on the NAWCA proposal process in Canada, please contact:

Canadian NAWCA Program Coordinator
Place Vincent Massey
351 St. Joseph Boulevard
Gatineau, Quebec
K1A 0H3
800-668-6767
ec.pnags-nawmp.ec@canada.ca

If you are interested in developing a proposal or becoming a partner, please contact the following:

In British Columbia,:
Coordinator, Pacific Coast Joint Venture and Canadian Intermountain Joint Venture
Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada
5421 Robertson Road, RR#1
Delta, British Columbia
V4K 3N2
Tel: (604) 940-4703
Fax: (604) 946-7022
Email: tasha.sargent@ec.gc.ca

In Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Yukon:
Coordinator, Prairie Habitat Joint Venture
Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada
4999 98th Avenue, 2nd Floor
Edmonton, Alberta
T6B 2X3
Tel: (780) 951-8652
Fax: (780) 495-2615
Email: deanna.dixon@ec.gc.ca

In Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland:
Coordinator, Eastern Habitat Joint Venture
Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada
17 Waterfowl Lane,
Sackville, New Brunswick
E4L 1G6
Tel: (506) 364-5085
Fax: (506) 364-5062
Email: tania.morais@canada.ca