Language selection

Search

Webinar: Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk (CNFASAR)

Webinar: Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk (CNFASAR)

Webinar: Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk (CNFASAR) (PDF, 1.03 MB)

Presentation Overview

Context

The Government of Canada has invested $1.35 billion from Budget 2018 in Canada’s Nature Legacy.

DFO’s Ecosystem Management sector received $55 million in Contributions funding over 5 years to contribute to the recovery of aquatic species at risk through the establishment of a new contribution program, Canada’s Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk (CNFASAR).

The Fund seeks to support recovery actions in priority places for aquatic species at risk and to mitigate priority threats, through the engagement of Indigenous organizations, provinces and territories, resource users, local groups, communities, industries and academia.

The Fund aims to improve the sustainability of Canada’s aquatic ecosystems by supporting multi-species and ecosystem approaches to recovery, that focus on seven priority freshwater places and two priority marine threats.

Objectives

CNFASAR aims to slow the decline of aquatic species at risk and enable a leap forward in species recovery through the injection of targeted funding for recovery activities that address priority places and threats.

The objectives of the Fund are to:

Criteria and priorities

The Fund is intended to provide targeted, directed funding to organizations and groups with the capacity to recover aquatic species at risk in priority places and address priority threats.

Criteria used to select priority places and threats:

Priority threats and places

Two marine priority threats:

  1. Fishing interactions - includes entanglements and bycatch of aquatic species at risk (geographic scope: all Canadian oceans)
  2. Physical and acoustic disturbance - includes vessel collisions & marine noise (geographic scope: all Canadian oceans)

Seven freshwater priority places:

  1. Fraser and Columbia Watersheds Priority Area (BC)
  2. Rocky Mountains’ Eastern Slopes Priority Area (AB)
  3. Southern Prairies Priority Area (AB, SK, MB)
  4. Lower Great Lakes Watershed Priority Area (ON)
  5. St. Lawrence Lowlands Priority Area (QC)
  6. Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Rivers Priority Area (NB, NS, PEI)
  7. Bay of Fundy and Southern Uplands Watersheds Priority Area (NS, NB)
Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk - Priority places and threats

The CNFASAR funding provides an opportunity to focus on seven freshwater priority places and 2 priority threats in the marine environment

Annex 3 includes tables that describe the kinds of projects that DFO is seeking to fund in each priority area or to address each priority theat. These tables are also available on the DFO website.

CNFASAR fund details

To be eligible, applicants must demonstrate how their projects and associated activities:

Eligible recipients under the Fund include:

Eligible activities under the Fund include:

Eligible costs under CNFASAR

The following costs are eligible to CNFASAR reimbursement, including:

Ineligible expenses/activities include:

Note the program allows governments (i.e., Federal, Provincial/Territorial, and municipal) to pay for any of the listed eligible expenditures of a project.

However, no more than 50% of the total funding for a project can come from the Federal government (matching profile 1:1).

For Indigenous recipients, the total Federal government assistance cannot be more than 80% of the total eligible expenditures of a project (matching profile 0.2:1).

Note that Indigenous-led projects will not be administered under the Nature Fund Terms & Conditions, they will be administered under the Integrated Aboriginal Contribution Management Framework (IACMF).

Steps in the CNFASAR process

The program takes into consideration a project’s full lifecycle, which includes:

  1. Expression of Interest – Eligible groups submit project applications
  2. EOI Review and Approval – All projects are assessed on 3 elements
  3. Proposal – Applicants of successful EOIs will be asked to submit full proposals
  4. Proposal Review and Approval – Proposals are assessed and approved
  5. Contribution Agreement (CA) – Recipients of approved proposals will work with DFO to develop CAs that outline their project's parameters
  6. Monitoring and Reporting – Recipients provide regular reports on project progress and outcomes
  7. Long-term Sustainability – Following the end of the CNFASAR project, recipients continue maintaining and monitoring project sites

Projects that meet the mandatory criteria will be evaluated on three elements:

  1. Biological Benefits: The proposed projects benefits to multiple aquatic species at risk
  2. Technical Considerations: Sound budget, project feasibility, expertise of partners

Projects that meet the mandatory criteria will be evaluated on three elements:

  1. Preference criteria:
    • clearly demonstrate Indigenous partnerships or leadership in their planning, development, and or implementation.
    • are multi-year projects;
    • promote a legacy by enabling actions to carry on beyond the 4 years for which funding is eligible;
    • support partnerships, relationship building, and the establishment of venues for continued collaboration, and information and knowledge sharing to support recovery actions beyond the 4 years for which funding is eligible; and
    • are between approximately $100,000 and $1,000,000 per year.

CNFASAR timeline

The timeline for this funding cycle is as follows:

Contact information

National Program Contacts

Kate Ladell, A/Director
Anne Phelps, Manager
Email: DFO.NCRCanadaNatureFund-FondsdelaNatureduCanada.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Newfoundland and Labrador

Shelley Decker
Email: DFO.NFLCanadaNatureFund-FondsdelaNatureduCanada.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Tel: (709) 772-8746

Maritimes

Jennifer MacDonald
Email: DFO.MARCanadaNatureFund-FondsdelaNatureduCanada.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Tel: (902) 407-8175

Gulf

Fabiola Akaishi
Email: DFO.GLFCanadaNatureFund-FondsdelaNatureduCanada.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Tel: (506) 851-6790

Quebec

Alain Kemp
Email: DFO.QUECanadaNatureFund-FondsdelaNatureduCanada.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Tel: (418) 775-0589

Central and Arctic

Melanie VanGerwen-Toyne
Email: DFO.CACanadaNatureFund-FondsdelaNatureduCanada.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Tel: (204) 983-5137

Pacific

Nicole McCutchen
Email: DFO.PACCanadaNatureFund-FondsdelaNatureduCanada.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca 
Tel: (604) 666-0395

For more information on the CNFASAR…

Further information on the CNFASAR program, as well as the Expression of Interest form and guidelines can be found at: Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk (CNFASAR).

You can also follow us on Twitter at:

Annex 1. Expression of Interest Form guidance

Guidelines for filling out the Expression of Interest

The following slides will provide examples/samples of what is expected in the EoI

Some general guidelines:

Project location

Please identify your proposed project location.

Sample table
Name of Waterbody Habitat Description (Ecosystem type) Latitude and Longitude (degrees, minutes, seconds) Specific Location (nearest town or city) Province/Territory
         
Add rows as required        

Project overview

Please provide an overview of the project including the main goals and objectives.

Proposed activities

Do the project activities align with or complement the activities that DFO is seeking to fund in each priority area or to address a priority threat? (Yes/No?). If yes, please describe the alignment or complementarity.

Target species

Please list the target species and anticipated benefits to these species from the project.

Sample table
Species Name (Common and Scientific) Briefly list anticipated benefits to this species
   
   
   
Add rows as required  

Broader initiatives or programs

The intent of this section is to identify overlaps and synergies.

Is your project currently fully or partially funded by the Habitat Stewardship Program (HSP), Coastal Restoration Fund, Aboriginal Funds for Species at Risk, or other DFO or federal funding program (Yes/No)?

If yes, please indicate the specific program and how your proposed project relates to it. In your response, please specify how proposed measures/activities in this project differ from what has received full or partial funding from other programs.

If no, does your project build on work that is or was funded by a DFO funding program, or other federal funds? (Yes/No)?

Milestones

Identify milestones (i.e., key stages/activities within a project) and provide a description (including the techniques and/or methods that will be used). Please indicate if the proposed methodology is well-known/well-established, or if it is a new approach.

Sample table
Fiscal Year Milestone Title General description of the activities / key stages to be undertaken (2-3 sentences max)
     
     
     
Add rows as required    

CNFASAR funding request

Enter the amount requested of CNFASAR for each year.

Sample table
  CNFASAR Funding Requested
2019-20 Add additional rows as needed
2020-21  
2021-22  
2022-23  
Total  

Collaboration among stakeholders and partners

Indicate whether you have confirmed or identified anticipated partners for your endeavor, and provide a short description of the contributions they will make.

Sample table
Partners Description of support offered (i.e. Oversight, planning, implementation, training, etc.) Contribution
     
     
Add rows as required    

Project team experience

Provide details on the qualifications and relevant experience of your project team, in order to demonstrate the group’s experience and capacity to deliver the proposed project. We expect that projects will be multi-partner – please include information on all partners, including each group’s role in the project. Note that preference will be given to projects that include Indigenous partnerships.

Promoting a nature legacy

Describe any measures or activities that will be undertaken as part of the proposed project to enable actions to carry on beyond the 4 years for which funding is eligible. For projects that involve construction, please indicate measures and/or approaches to reduce the need for ongoing maintenance.

Permits and permissions

Are permits and/or landowner permissions required to complete this project? (Yes/No). If permits and/or permissions are required for your project, please list the necessary permits and/or permissions below.

Annex 2. Habitat Stewardship Program (HSP), the Aboriginal Fund for Species at Risk (AFSAR), and the Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk (CNFASAR)

Habitat Stewardship Program (HSP) / Aboriginal Fund for Species at Risk (AFSAR)

Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk (CNFASAR)

Annex 3. Actions DFO is seeking to fund under the CNFASAR, in each priority area and to address each priority threat

Fishing interactions (entanglement and bycatch)

DFO is seeking to fund measures or activities that reduce fishing interactions with aquatic species at risk such as the following:

Physical & Acoustic Disturbance (vessel collisions & marine noise)

DFO is seeking to fund measures or activities that contribute to mitigating physical and acoustic disturbances such as the following:

Columbia and Fraser Watersheds (BC)

DFO is seeking to fund measures or activities such as the following:

Eastern Slopes of the Rockies (AB)

DFO is seeking to fund measures or activities such as the following:

Southern Prairies (AB, SK, MB)

DFO is seeking to fund measures or activities such as the following:

Lower Great Lakes Watershed (ON)

DFO is seeking to fund measures or activities such as the following:

St Lawrence Lowlands (QC)

DFO is seeking to fund measures or activities such as the following:

Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Rivers (NB, NS, PEI)

DFO is seeking to fund measures or activities such as the following:

Bay of Fundy & Southern Uplands Watersheds (NB, NS)

DFO is seeking to fund measures or activities such as the following:

Date modified: