Program

Protect your land and leave behind a living legacy

Do you own farmland or rural property and want to see it protected for generations to come? We’re seeking interested landowners to explore placing a voluntary conservation or farmland easement (CEA) on their property to contribute to Canada’s goal of protecting 30% of land and water by 2030, while safeguarding the agricultural and natural areas that make your land special.

A CEA is a voluntary, legally binding agreement between a landowner and a qualified conservation organization that protects identified conservation or agricultural features of a property in perpetuity. Each agreement is uniquely tailored to reflect the values of your land and your vision for its future. It is not a sale or transfer of your property; you continue to own, live on, farm, and even sell your land. The agreement is simply registered on title and remains in place for future owners. 

Why consider a conservation easement?

Landowners choose CEAs for many reasons, including but not limited to the following:

  • Leave a living legacy for land that has been in the family for generations

  • Protect farmland, forests, wetlands, or other natural features from future development

  • Receive significant income tax benefits, including a charitable tax receipt based on the appraised value of the easement

  • Eligibility for enhanced tax benefits through Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program (if applicable)

CEAs are enabled under Ontario’s Conservation Land Act and remain permanently attached to the property title, meaning the protections continue, even if the land is sold.

How we can help

If you’re curious about whether a conservation easement is right for you, connect with us and we’ll provide you with the following:

  • Clear, accessible education about what a CEA is and is not

  • An assessment of whether a CEA may be appropriate and whether your property could be eligible

  • A detailed explanation of benefits, responsibilities, and long-term considerations

  • The opportunity to speak directly with a lawyer specializing in CEAs

  • Potential access to funded legal advice if selected for this initiative

This is an opportunity to explore and no commitment is necessary. Our goal is to ensure you feel informed and supported at every step.

FAQs

Landowners receive permanent protection of identified agricultural or natural features, along with potential financial benefits. When a CEA is donated, a qualified appraiser determines the difference in fair market value before and after the easement is registered. The landowner may receive a charitable tax receipt for that difference. Properties with significant ecological features may also qualify for enhanced federal tax benefits.

CEAs restrict specific changes to land use that could harm identified conservation or agricultural values. The CEA may designate some parts of the property for building, while designating other parts of the property for protection with no buildings, wetland drainage or forest removal permitted. However, restrictions are negotiated and tailored to each property. This is not a one-size-fits-all agreement. Flexibility is built into the drafting process to reflect your needs and long-term plans.

Yes. You retain ownership. You can continue living on, working, and managing your property. The agreement simply ensures that agreed-upon conservation values are protected.

Yes. The agreement remains on title and applies to future owners, but you are free to sell your property at any time.

People are often concerned a CEA means they lose ownership or the ability to farm their land. This is not the case:

  • It is not a sale or donation of your land to a conservation organization
  • It is not government expropriation
  • It is not a rigid, overly restrictive rulebook
  • It is not a one-size-fits-all tool

A CEA is a collaborative, voluntary agreement designed to protect what matters most, while respecting your ownership and stewardship.

Free Webinar: Your Land, Your Legacy - Exploring Conservation Easements

MARCH 23, 2026 | 6:30 PM - Join lawyer Paul Peterson to learn about conservation easement agreements, how they work, who may be eligible, and the potential benefits, responsibilities, and long-term considerations involved.
Register

Interested in protecting your land forever?

Sign up and our coordinator will connect with you to provide more information on how to get involved. No commitment is necessary. Apply by March 23, 2026.
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Helpful Resources

Protect your land and leave behind a living legacy Read More »

Long Point Walsingham Forest Priority Place

Long Point Walsingham Priority Place

The Priority Place project gets local conservation groups working together to boost conservation outcomes in the Long Point Biosphere Region, one of Canada’s high biodiversity ecosystems.

There are five working groups that that governmental and non-governmental organizations are collaborating on: Road Ecology, Invasive Species, Agriculture Runoff, Open Country, and Forest & Treed Swamps

In the fall, we host the Priority Place Research Conference. The conference is a chance for conservation scientists from the five working groups to share their progress and engage local residents.

This project has a dedicated website. Please visit priorityplace.ca to learn more. The staff coordinator is Cynthia Brink. She can be contacted at cynthia.brink@longpointbiosphere.com.

The Biosphere was deeply honored to welcome Carolyn King, C.M., as the Elder leading the opening ceremony at the 2024 Priority Place Research Conference.

Carolyn is a member of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN) and has spent over four decades advancing Indigenous recognition, respect, and relationships across Canada. As a trailblazer, she served as the first woman Chief of MCFN from 1997 to 1999. Carolyn’s dedication to advocacy and community development has earned her many accolades, including the Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 and an appointment to the Order of Canada in 2020.

In 2011, Carolyn founded the Moccasin Identifier Initiative, a project that fosters awareness of Treaties, Indigenous connections to the land, and our collective responsibilities toward reconciliation. Her vision to “cover Canada in Moccasins” aims to ensure Indigenous heritage remains woven into the fabric of our shared spaces.

Long Point Walsingham Forest Priority Place Read More »

OECM

Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECM for short)

 Canada has set a goal to protect 30% of its land and waters by 2030. Achieving this goal requires putting all land that is under conservation management, but not operated by the Federal Government, into a national database.

The Biosphere encourages program uptake by sharing the database with local governments and landowners. This involves creating educational resources, presenting at local council depositions, and meeting with landowners in-person.

If you live in Norfolk County and have land you want to add to the database please contact Sarah Emons at conservation@longpointbiosphere.com—being added to the database does not prevent you from using or selling your land.

Canada is committed to protecting nature through the 30 by 30 agreement, an international effort to conserve 30% of lands and waters by 2030. By safeguarding biodiversity and natural habitats and ensure a sustainable future for wildlife and people. The Long Point Biosphere Region supports conservation efforts by working with landowners and organizations to protect ecologically significant areas. 

OECM Read More »

Wildlife Road Watch

Wildlife Road watch

Crossing roads is a risk wildlife must take to move through their habitat. In partnership with Eco-Kare International, the Biosphere coordinates a Wildlife Road Watch crew to protect these animals.

Wildlife Road Watch staff organize citizen scientists to record roadkill and animal crossings locations—these observations show which roads are collision hotspots. The team then encourages local governments to install turtle nesting mounds, wildlife underpasses and roadside fencing as part of their existing road maintenance master plan. 

In 2024, the Road Watch crew, in partnership Long Point Eco Adventures, also operated a turtle hatchery. A group of 31 Wildlife Road Watch volunteers raised and released over a thousand turtles that year.

The staff coordinators are Kari Gunson and Lauren Nightingale. They can be contacted at kegunson@eco-kare.com and lnightingale@eco-kare.com. 

Fences nudge wildlife away from unsafe road crossings and towards safe underpasses. A mink is pictured using one of these underpasses to safety move through its habitat.

Wildlife Road Watch Read More »

Beach Restoration

Beach REstoration

Human development and warmer winters mean that Long Point is in “sediment debt”—it’s losing more sand and pebbles to erosion that it receives. Over time, the entire spit (and all of its beaches!) will wash away. We’ve been given funding to organize a task force to prevent this fate. 

The task force is a partnership between 7 local governments, 3 conservation authorities, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and other conservation organizations. They monitor the region’s “sediment budget” and plant erosion-slowing native grasses on Long Point’s beaches.

This project has a dedicated website. Please visit northshoreresilience.ca to learn more. The staff coordinator is Sarah Emons. She can be contacted at conservation@longpointbiosphere.com. 

In partnership with homeowners and local governments, the Biosphere is planting native grasses to slow erosion.

Beach Restoration Read More »

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