Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation announces new conservation grants

The Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation Board of Directors recently approved $2.86 million in new grants to 20 projects delivered by 14 Manitoba-based conservation groups.

“These funds provide new opportunities to improve wildlife, water and soil conservation across the province,” said Stephen Carlyle, chief executive officer of the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation (MHHC).

The revenue source for these projects is $204 million in contributions made to The Winnipeg Foundation between 2018 and 2020 to establish three trusts dedicated to land, water and wildlife conservation. MHHC manages granting programs for the trusts.

Establishment of the Conservation Trust, the GROW Trust, and the Wetlands GROW Trusts in Manitoba resulted in permanent revenue sources for new conservation activities. The Trusts focus on restoring natural areas in the rural landscape to help address floods and droughts, water quality, wildlife habitat and biological diversity, carbon sequestration and connecting people to nature.

“The conservation investments will help make our landscape more resilient to the impacts of climate change in the future,” said Carlyle.

Projects supported include:

• $400,000 to Manitoba Beef Producers to support projects that help cattle producers conserve grasslands and enhance habitat for threatened and endangered birds
• $200,000 to Holistic Management Canada to support its Regenerative Agriculture Accelerator Project, which helps Manitoba agriculture producers incorporate soil, water and wildlife conservation into their farming operations
• $400,000 to Ducks Unlimited Canada to conserve and restore wetland and grassland habitats in the province
• $25,000 to the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – Manitoba Chapter to work with the Fisher River Cree Nation to develop a conservation areas plan for the Fisher River watershed

The $2.86 million in Trust funds is being matched by $6.6 million in funds and services by the groups, which will result in $9.5 million of conservation activity in Manitoba.

“An additional $7.5 million will be awarded in April for watershed-based conservation projects under the GROW Program delivered by provincial Watershed Districts , bringing total grant funding from the trusts to $10.3 million in 2022,” said Carlyle.

Since the first projects received trust funding in 2019, a total of $20.86 million has been committed to 139 conservation projects delivered by 47 Manitoba-based groups.