The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has unveiled a plan to rally people and communities to conserve and care for Canada’s iconic Prairie grasslands.

The Prairie Grasslands Action Plan will conserve more than 500,000 hectares by 2030 and that’s an area six times the size of Calgary.

NCC wants people to know grasslands are nature’s unsung heroes. Think of them as upside down forests, with 90 per cent of their biomass hidden underground in vast and deep root systems. But therein lies their secret powers:

· Grasslands absorb carbon dioxide and store billions of tonnes of carbon, keeping it fixed in the soil and helping to counter the effects of climate change.

· They trap and filter precious water resources on the Prairies, mitigating both floods and droughts, and providing drinking water for thousands of communities.

· Grasslands are an economic driver of local economies and essential to food security.

· They host an astonishing variety of plants and wildlife, which are increasingly threatened by habitat loss. In fact, bird populations that rely on native grasslands have declined by 90 per cent since 1970.

· Western grasslands are the ancestral homes of many Indigenous communities, whose culture and history are entwined with the natural cycles of the Great Plains.

"At its core, the launch of the Prairie Grasslands Action Plan is really about life as we know it across the Prairies. Grasslands continue to have ecological, cultural, spiritual and economic significance. Only by working together can we make a real change.” - Kevin Teneycke, Regional Vice-President in Manitoba and Saskatchewan

Partnership is at the heart of the plan. Only with a whole-of-society approach can we hope to slow the loss. NCC is working with local communities and in collaboration with Indigenous Nations on a multitude of projects. We are partnering with industry, government and other conservation organizations to complete conservation projects on the ground. And we are advancing stewardship with ranchers, livestock producers and

grazing groups to deliver solutions that ensure that grasslands remain a foundation for thriving communities.

Momentum is building, and we expect several high-profile announcements of conservation impact in coming months.

Work is already underway in Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.


NCC has secured its largest ever conservation agreement in Manitoba. Close to 455 hectares. The 21 Farms project is currently grazed, and the intent is that it will remain as pastureland, consistent with NCC’s vision for healthy and resilient prairie that is part of a sustainable and vibrant livestock grazing industry.


“This project was made possible thanks to our wonderful donors Eric and Carol Moore, who gifted a significant portion of the agreement value. Funds raised through the Prairie Grasslands Action Plan will go toward programming to support further conservation and the long-term management and care of grasslands across the Prairies” said Kevin Teneycke


The Government of Canada’s Natural Heritage Conservation Program (NHCP) is a unique public-private partnership to support new protected and conserved areas by securing private lands and private interests in lands. The program is managed by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). Federal funds invested in the program are matched with contributions raised by NCC and its partners,