The Municipality biodiversity fund is an initiative of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Québec Section (CPWS Québec), jointly established with the Fondation de la faune du Québec.

The fund is a tool allowing municipalities and cities to efficiently contribute to the greater environmental challenges through the development of projects in the protection and enhancement of natural environments on their territories. On a voluntary basis, each Quebec municipality or city is invited to contribute to the fund by:

  • contributing an amount equivalent to $1 per household or taxation unit per year in a fund that is reserved for them;
  • utilizing the accumulated amounts to develop natural environment protection projects in collaboration with community partners.

For more detailed information about the Municipality biodiversity fund and its mechanism for receiving projects, we invite you to watch the video or the PowerPoint document of the full presentation of the Fund given on September 16, 2021 in front of the 48 member municipalities, towns and RCMs.

A fund with a multiplier effect

The Municipality biodiversity fund can provide a significant financial leverage with other funders.

  • For the years 2017 to 2022 inclusively, the Fondation de la faune du Québec has committed to a contribution of up to $100,000 per year to the Municipality biodiversity fund, matching the amounts contributed by the municipalities.
  • For the years 2020 and 2021, the Fondation will 100% match municipalities’ seed money thanks to a major partnership developed with the ministère de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs.
  • On the medium term, the objective is to add to the municipalities’/cities’ seed money thanks to private or public contributions established according to the number of households in the subscribing municipalities/cities.
  • CPAW Québec and the Fondation de la faune continue their efforts for the development of partnerships with companies, departments, or organizations interested in investing in the development of the fund.

Types of eligible projects

  • Planning of interventions for a whole territory (ex., conservation plan for natural environments, preliminary project study for protection and restoration).
  • Protection and enhancement of natural environments (ex., acquisition of lands of an ecological interest for the conservation of a targeted wildlife habitat, wildlife interpretation panels).
  • Restoration of damaged environments (ex., restoration of wetlands, streambank stabilisation, tree planting for the conservation of a wildlife habitat.
  • Voluntary conservation of a specific natural environment (ex., awareness tools and activities leading to the signing of conservation agreements with private landowners).
  • Creation of regional parks or protected areas with a national protection status.
  • Creation of ecological corridors and connection between existing protected areas.
  • Development of an existing natural environment to make it a suitable habitat for a specific vulnerable species.

For more information, please contact Christine Bélanger, chief manager for programs and development at the Fondation de la faune du Québec, at 418 644-7926, ext. 123, or at christine.belanger@fondationdelafaune.qc.ca.

How to apply for membership

  • Firstly, inform CPAW or the Fondation de la faune of your interest;
  • Have the municipal council approve a resolution;
  • On a first-come, first-served basis, once the resolution received, the Fondation will send an agreement to the municipality/city for the establishment and management of the fund, which must be signed by both parties.

* Municipality/city membership depends on the amounts available for matching within the fiscal year. Once these amounts totally committed, the Fondation will no longer be able to accept new municipalities/cities. It will then be possible for them to apply for membership the following year. 

For detailed information on the fund, please take knowledge of the following documents :

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