Critical Habitat Interdepartmental Program (CHIP) | Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)

Proposed activities aiming at the conservation and recovery of species at risk and the protection and restoration of their critical habitat must derive from a recovery strategy or a proposed or final action plan published on the species at risk public registry, or from a draft recovery plan. Provincial recovery plans can be used as a reference on a case-by-case basis to a proposed activity only if no other recovery document exists.

The activity categories eligible for CHIP funding are listed below. Under each category are examples of eligible activities. Please note that for OIPS CHIP projects, the priority work is provided in the reference document for each eligible species.

Technical and scientific

• critical habitat identification and scale refinement surveys and mapping
• species at risk surveys and population trend research
• research and implementation of invasive species related activities
• research on biology or ecology of the species, with respect to its habitat needs
• monitoring to determine short to long-term impacts of project activity(ies) on species at risk recovery

Outreach and education

• direct community outreach regarding species at risk and critical habitat awareness
• signage and other means of spreading awareness in areas in which threats are known
• creation and installation of information boards and modules to inform the public
• production and distribution of printed material or workshops pertaining to species at risk
• development of web tools to educate and inform on species at risk and critical habitat

Operational

• direct mitigation of threats to the species at risk
• conservation, recovery and protection of critical habitat
• invasive species removal, and native species re-introduction to damaged ecosystems
• species at risk reintroduction or repopulation in critical habitat zones
• improvement of critical habitat quality