Deadline: 15-Dec-21
The Government of Alberta is pleased to launch the Rangeland Sustainability Program (RSP) to promote the conservation and long-term sustainability of Alberta’s rangelands and the ecosystem services these working landscapes provide to Albertans.
Alberta’s rangelands provide many ecological goods and services that benefit all Albertans. Clean air, fresh water, food, timber, wildlife habitat, biodiversity, soil stabilization, pollination, buffering from extreme weather events like floods and fires, and carbon sequestration and storage are all direct benefits from Alberta’s rangeland.
Rangelands also provide a sustainable and renewable source of livestock forage, contributing to the livelihoods of farmers and ranchers and supporting the foundations of rural communities in Alberta.
RSP provides funding for collaborative projects with partners and stakeholders across the province that:
- support initiatives that Albertans and industry stakeholders implement related to sustainable rangeland stewardship
- increase knowledge and understanding of rangeland management outcomes for long-term sustainability through research, education and tool development
- support rangeland initiatives that help producers overcome barriers to stewardship of rangelands
Funding Themes
Projects that support one or more of the following priority funding themes will be considered.
- Priority: Extension and education
- Increasing knowledge and awareness to improve rangeland sustainability.
- Increasing awareness and integrate new knowledge, tools and best practices into rangeland management for the benefit of rangelands sustainability.
- Priority: Rangeland research
- Undertaking new research that focuses on knowledge development and practice change leading to improved rangeland sustainability.
- Supporting research that benefits Alberta’s public rangelands, including linkages between rangeland management and ecosystem services.
- Supporting research for Alberta rangeland climate change adaptation and mitigation (i.e., carbon storage).
- Supporting research for Alberta rangeland multiple use conflicts.
- Supporting the application of knowledge, such as implementation of a new practice that will result in improved rangeland sustainability.
- Priority: Overcome barriers to stewardship of rangelands
- Projects that support development and implementation of adaptive management tools/beneficial management practices to integrate multiple use activities, and address emerging issues that have an impact on rangeland stewardship goals.
Eligible Projects
Examples of eligible project topics:
- applied research demonstrating adaptive range management practices
- carbon sequestration research, extension and best management practices for rangelands
- climate change effects and adaptation on rangelands
- ecological restoration of native grasslands in areas of forest or brush encroachment
- enhancement of existing tools, development of new tools, practices, or strategies for rangeland sustainability
- grazing and timber integration
- livestock producer education and extension
- multiple use mitigation best practices on rangelands
- predation and cattle loss
- protection of species at risk
- rangeland management and ecosystem services
- rangeland reclamation and restoration research and training
- rangeland stewardship and adaptation
- rangeland wildfire resilience
- recreation and rangeland interactions
- riparian monitoring and management
- wildlife, livestock, and rangeland interactions
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible applicants must fall under one of the following categories:
- academia and educational institutions
- Indigenous communities
- municipalities
- non-government organizations registered under the Alberta Societies Act (ASA)
- other non-government organizations (those that may not be registered under the ASA but are still considered not-for-profit).
For more information, visit https://www.alberta.ca/rangeland-sustainability-program.aspx