Aboriginal Fund for Species at Risk: accepting proposals 2017 to 2018

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Now into its 14th year, the Aboriginal Fund for Species at Risk (AFSAR) program supports the development of Indigenous^Footnote1 capacity to participate actively in the implementation of the Species at Risk Act (SARA). This fund also enables the Government of Canada to facilitate Indigenous involvement in activities that protect or conserve habitats for species at risk (SAR) and to proactively prevent species, other than SAR, from becoming a conservation concern.

Funding under AFSAR is separated into two streams:

• The AFSAR SAR Stream focuses on projects addressing the recovery of SAR listed on Schedule 1 of SARA; and
• The AFSAR Prevention Stream focuses on projects addressing other species, beyond those listed on SARA, to prevent them from becoming a conservation concern.

Timelines:

The program will be accepting Expressions of Interest until November 18^th 2016. The submission of an Expression of Interest is strongly encouraged, particularly for applicants who have not received AFSAR funding in the past or for those applying to a new stream.

The deadline for proposal submissions is December 9^nd, 2016.

AFSAR SAR Stream National Priorities and Expected Results

The national priorities for the AFSAR SAR Stream are projects or activities that focus on the following:

• Implementation of priority activities described in recovery strategies or action plans such as protection of critical habitat.
• Implementation of multi-species projects with a focus on ecosystem-based recovery initiatives.
• Implementation of projects involving collaboration among multiple stakeholders/partners.
• Implementation of signed SARA Section 11 agreements.
• The recovery of SAR and threats to SAR included as part of an international agreement.
• The consideration of Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge (ATK) for application in SARA processes, including species assessment and the planning and implementation of recovery documents.

In order to be eligible, proposed projects must contribute to one or more of the following expected results of the AFSAR SAR Stream:

• Strengthen capacity in Indigenous communities for SARA implementation.
• Mitigate threats to SAR, be they individuals or populations.
• Protect, improve or manage critical and important habitat^Footnote2 of SAR.
• Document and conserve ATK and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) on SAR and, where appropriate, help with their use in the development of recovery objectives.

AFSAR Prevention Stream National Priorities and Expected Results

The national priorities for the AFSAR Prevention Stream are projects or activities that focus on the following:

• Species assessed as “may be at risk” and “sensitive” by The General Status of Species in Canada.
• Species of cultural significance to Indigenous peoples.
• Supporting the enhancement of wildlife that are of cultural and/or socio-economic importance to Aboriginal communities.
• Building capacity in Indigenous communities and organizations to participate in wildlife conservation actions.

In order to be eligible, proposed projects must contribute to one or more of the following expected results of the AFSAR Prevention Stream:

• Strengthen capacity in Indigenous communities for their participation in preventive action to conserve the target species and their associated habitats.
• Stop, remove or mitigate potential threats, caused by human activities, to individual target species and/or their habitat.
• Protect, improve or manage important habitat^{Footnote 3} of the target species.
• Document and conserve ATK and TEK on the target species.

Regional Priorities for Both Streams

In addition to the national priorities, each region has regional priorities that support the national priorities. These include target areas, species and threats that have been identified as priorities for the region. For the 2017–2018 funding year, emphasis shall be placed on projects that address regional priorities, and these can be found in the Species at Risk Stream Regional Priorities 2017-2018.

For more information:

• Please contact your AFSAR regional coordinator^Footnote4 to receive further information on the Expression of Interest and on regional program priorities for projects in your area.
• General information on the AFSAR program is also available on the AFSAR website.
• Please refer to the 2017–2018 AFSAR Application Guidelines for additional information and other details on project eligibility. Separate guidelines are provided for the SAR Stream and the Prevention Stream.
• The Expression of Interest is available as an online form.
• If you have any questions, please contact ec.faep-afsar.ec@canada.ca.