A ‘Watershed Moment’ for Private Land Conservation in Canada

Six Canadian land trusts celebrated a pioneering accomplishment this week when they became the nation’s first to earn Conservation Excellence Certification from the Centre for Land Conservation (CLC).

“This certification represents a watershed moment for land conservation in Canada,” said CLC Executive Director Lara Ellis in a press release provided by the Canadian land conservation think tank. “These six organizations have demonstrated exceptional commitment to conservation excellence. Their certification signals to donors, partners, and communities that they operate at the highest levels of professional practice and conservation impact.”

The certified land trusts are spread across three provinces. In central Canada, Couchiching Conservancy, Haliburton Highlands Land Trust, Ontario Farmland Trust, and Kawartha Land Trust, are in Ontario. In Atlantic Canada, Nature Trust of New Brunswick is in the province of New Brunswick. And in the west, Southern Interior Land Trust Society is in British Columbia.  

Canada has over 140 regional and community land trusts protecting more than 112,000 hectares (about 276,758 acres) of land, but until recently, they did not have the opportunity to be certified to the Canadian Land Trust Standards and Practices. Land trust certification has become a popular method of ensuring land trusts’ integrity and trustworthiness in the United States where the Land Trust Alliance (LTA) has been implementing and revising its Land Trust Standards and Practices guidebook since 1989.

Today, the LTA has over 900 accredited members–meaning the organization has successfully implemented Land Trust Standards and Practices. The seal has proven an effective method for organizations to communicate their commitment to effective and ethical long-term conservation, for donors to identify reputable organizations, and to motivate land trusts to continually improve their operations.

In 2005, the CLC recognized the value of this certification and the guidance it provided for the private land conservation movement. It worked with the LTA to modify the most recent version of its standards and practices document to develop the Canadian Land Trust Standards and Practices (CLT S&P).

The CLT S&P provides ethical and technical guidance to anyone operating a land trust in Canada. It is divided into 12 standards and 91 practices, including sections on compliance and law, conflicts of interest, financial oversight, property evaluations, land stewardship, and others.

In the years since 2005, the CLT S&P has undergone a rigorous revision period, ending in the publication of an update in early 2019. With this complete, the CLC turned to the task of developing its certification program.

The six land trusts recognized today participated in the piloting phase of the Conservation Excellence Certification Program. All applicants had to be registered not-for-profit organizations in Canada and underwent a five-step review process. Those that met certification standards are now authorized to use the Conservation Excellence Certification Trustmark and are entered into a public registry maintained on the CLC website. Their certification is valid for four years.

The successful candidates expressed pride in the work that the certification recognizes. Judie Steeves, President of the Southern Interior Land Trust said the trustmark would help her organization build stronger partnerships that would lead to more protected wildlife habitat. “For our small volunteer land trust, achieving this certificate demonstrates that excellence in conservation isn’t about size – it’s about commitment to best practices and measurable results.”

Though these six land trusts accomplished something unprecedented, the CLC hopes that many more will soon join their ranks. Other land trusts are currently undergoing assessment, and the program could certify as many as 40 organizations across the country by March 2026.