Unsteady funding for conservation is made worse by competing priorities

WARKWORTH – As the tiny, newly hatched snapping turtles acclimate to Burnley Creek, a volunteer with the SCALES Nature Park explains what cutbacks in government funding mean to turtles and species at risk across the province.

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The situation is so to say, conservation groups are asking the public for donations to carry on work which has been government-funded for years.

Of the 98 day-old snappers released here where their eggs were dug just last June, less than 10 would likely have lived even long enough to hatch without intervention from the nature park which removed, incubated and hatched them, says the volunteer.

Already rescues for injured wildlife do not receive provincial funding.

What’s emerging is a seesaw battle between a wholistic approach of preserving habitat, and a species-by-species, individual-by-individual plan.

While some organisms target tree planting, wetland creation, pollution reduction, erosion control etc. they don’t necessarily address the specific needs of the most vulnerable, says a Species at Risk biologist for the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA).

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Scott Gillingwater says, “the unique needs of (individual) species becomes lost as part of a general habitat protection.”

Gillingwater points out that “what is good for pollinators, or ducks and deer, or native plants, may not be appropriate for turtles and snakes.” While UTRCA works “with other organisms, we carry out a very specific role for the species we target.”

A spokesperson for Ontario Soil and Crop says both Species at Risk Farm Incentive Program (SARFIP) and Species at Risk Partnerships on Agricultural Lands (SARPAL) are government funded and the project categories, and their target species, are selected by the funding agency.

“All target species are identified as being species at risk in Ontario that can be supported within the agricultural landscape,” OSCIA Program co-ordinator Karen Jacobs told Ontario Farmer in an email.

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SARFIP is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Parks (MECP), and focuses on habitat creation on farmland. SARPAL is funded by Environment and Climate Change Canada, focused on long-term habitat creation.

Gillingwater said the loss of provincial funding amounts to over $40,000 annually for UTRCA.

He said the decision to bar conservation authorities from applying for provincial funding came “out of the blue.”

Federal funding, he said, “is not enough to sustain the program,” without provincial participation.

He said the “constant battle to find funding from inconsistent sources results in hesitation to carry out the full suite of recovery work necessary to protect the reptiles at risk we focus on.”

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He said UTRCA has enjoyed “tremendous success with our work, (but) we could have much more impact on these threatened and endangered species if we could plan for the future, rather than always focusing on the present. We also worry that if we hit a rough year financially, we’ll be unable to carry our core research and conservation programs for Species At Risk.”

A spokesperson for the provincial government told Ontario Farmer the “Species at Risk Stewardship Program funded through Ontario Soil and Crop Association, is currently providing funding for 33 projects, including the Species at Risk Farm Incentive Program, and funding to ALUS Canada “to support the protection and recovery of grassland species at risk on agricultural lands across Ontario.” It has been in place for 17 years.

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He explained, “Funding through the Species at Risk Stewardship Program is awarded based on a competitive application process on an annual basis, and will continue in 2025-26. Specific funding priorities are identified each year and vary over time.”

Funding for SARFIP is issued as a proportion of the project costs, to a maximum of $20,000, with the proportion depending on the anticipated benefit to at risk species. For eligible projects with an uncertain benefit, 45 per cent funding is issued. Eligible projects that demonstrate they will have a direct benefit to SAR are issued 60% funding.

SARFIP offers 75 per cent funding where the farmer can demonstrate that the project will directly benefit SAR and they are willing to work with a biologist to monitor that impact.

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The spokesperson said notification letters will be sent to those interested in new calls for proposals and they are invited to contact [email protected] to be added. Updates will also be posted on the Species At Risk Stewardship Program website.

UTRCA says programs like the one operated by Southern Ontario At Risk Reptiles (SOARR) has been vital to the survival of some species.

It has worked for 30 years “with some of the most-at-risk species in Ontario, including the Spiny Softshell Turtle,” which it has brought back from the brink of loss in the region.

SOARR has made life safer for some of the largest remaining populations of endangered turtles and snakes in Ontario, says the UTRCA release.

For instance, Gillingwater says, all of the nests of Spiny Softshell Turtle along the Thames River would have been wiped out because of repeated flooding.

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“Instead, due to SOARR’s efforts, those nests are hatching in our incubators.”

SOARR expected to release more than 6,000 young turtles into the wild.

It estimates only one percent of the young will reach maturity, which explains why its “efforts are critical to safeguard vulnerable reptile populations.”

While not currently accepting applications, Species At Risk Partnerships on Agricultural Lands (SARPAL) is a federal initiative which funds habitat improvement for 12 target species including Loggerhead Shrike, Little Brown Myotis, Barn Swallows, Bobolink, Gypsy’s Cuckoo Bumble Bee, Grasshopper Sparrow, Monarch Butterfly, American Badger, Meadowlark, Eastern Fox Snake, Henslow’s Sparrow, Rusty Patched Bumble Bee and Monarch butterfly.

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OSCIA requires SARPAL participants to commit to providing “long-term protection for important SAR habitat on Ontario farmland through the use of Conservation Agreements.

“Before funding can be released, approved SARPAL applicants are required to sign a Conservation Agreement with Environment and Climate Change Canada,” it says. There they commit to maintaining and monitoring the program for up to five years.

“The goal of the Conservation Agreement is to ensure long-term protection of habitat for the 12 target SAR. The Agreement is not on title, but producers must notify OSCIA (who will in turn inform ECCC) of changes in land ownership or control.

Gillingwater said UTRCA has often worked collaboratively with other organizations.

But he says, his efforts are unique. It has located, marked, and studied the largest known populations of many reptiles in Canada and “become the experts on these species and their recovery needs.”

Additionally, he said, “We are working toward long-term recovery goals as set out via peer reviewed recovery strategies for each species,” including several that have very little research conducted on them in other areas of the province.”

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