BOWEN ISLAND CONSERVANCY — NEW WEBSITE

PROTECT — How Land Protection Works — Page Draft | Phase One — Placeholder / Basic | June 2026

Phase One — Placeholder / Basic. Plain-language explanation of the legal tools the Conservancy uses to protect land permanently. For landowners, potential donors, and curious community members. Note: content should be reviewed by legal counsel before expanding details on tax treatment, specific covenant terms, and donation processes. A fuller page — including a landowner FAQ and expanded covenants section — is planned for Phase Two.

HERO IMAGE

Suggested: a landscape image that conveys permanence — the Wild Coast bluff, an aerial of protected land bordering developed land, or a document-signing moment. Reinforces that protection is a formal, lasting act.

How Land Protection Works

Protecting land on Bowen means using legal tools that last — not just agreements that can change with a new owner or a different board.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PROTECTED AND NOT

Anyone can decide to leave their land alone. A landowner can choose not to log, not to develop, not to change a thing. That is a personal decision and a good one. But it is not permanent protection.

Permanent protection requires a legal instrument — something registered on the land title, binding on the current owner and every future owner, that cannot simply be set aside when a property changes hands or intentions change.

The Bowen Island Conservancy uses two main legal tools to protect land: fee-simple acquisition (purchasing land outright) and conservation covenants (registered legal agreements that restrict how land can be used). Landowners can also donate land directly to a conservation organization.

Sometimes the Conservancy holds these protections on its own. Sometimes it works in partnership with other organizations — most notably the Islands Trust Conservancy — to hold and administer them.

BUYING LAND OUTRIGHT: FEE-SIMPLE ACQUISITION

The most straightforward form of protection is ownership. When conservation organization purchases land outright — known as fee-simple acquisition — it holds full title and can determine what happens on that land in perpetuity.

The Conservancy has used this tool twice at Cape Roger Curtis:

The Wild Coast Nature Refuge (32 acres, acquired December 2020) was purchased through a community fundraising campaign. A conservation covenant is also registered on the land title, providing a second layer of protection.

The Cape Lands (160 acres, acquired October 2024) were purchased from Metro Vancouver, again with donor support. Conservation planning and stewardship assessment are now underway.

Fee-simple ownership gives the strongest protection available. The land is held by the conservation organization and cannot be sold, subdivided, or developed without its consent.

DONATING LAND

Landowners can also choose to donate land directly to a conservation organization. The Conservancy is able to accept donations of land that have significant natural, ecological, or habitat values on Bowen Island.

A land donation may qualify for meaningful tax benefits under federal and provincial law. In Canada, donations of ecologically sensitive land to qualified recipients can generate an income tax receipt and, in some situations, an exemption from capital gains tax.

Every property and situation is different. Landowners considering a donation should speak with a legal or tax advisor familiar with conservation transactions. The Land Trust Alliance of BC has published guides on the financial benefits of conservation for landowners, available at ltabc.ca.

CONSERVATION COVENANTS: PROTECTING LAND WHILE YOU KEEP IT

Not every landowner wants to sell or donate their property. A conservation covenant makes it possible to protect important natural features on your land while retaining ownership — and continued use of the land — yourself.

A conservation covenant is a voluntary legal agreement registered on the title of your property. In British Columbia, conservation covenants are established under Section 219 of the Land Title Act. They define specific restrictions on what can and cannot be done with the land — restrictions that run with the title permanently. When the land is sold, the covenant stays. Every future owner is bound by the same terms.

A covenant is designed around the specific land and the specific values being protected. It might:

Prohibit subdivision or new construction on part or all of the property, while leaving existing buildings and established uses in place.

Protect a stream corridor, wetland, or sensitive habitat area on a portion of the property, while permitting other uses on the rest.

Restrict clearing, grading, or removal of native vegetation in defined areas.

Apply to the entire property or only to the parts that need protection most.

Covenants can be tailored to meet your own goals, the natural values of the land, and the needs of the community. They are not one-size-fits-all. Many landowners find that a covenant protects what they care about while leaving their day-to-day relationship with the land unchanged.

WHO HOLDS THE COVENANT — AND WHAT THAT MEANS

In BC, a conservation covenant must be held by a qualified organization with the legal authority and capacity to monitor and enforce it over the long term. The Bowen Island Conservancy is one such organization. So is the Islands Trust Conservancy, a provincial body with conservation covenant authority across the southern Gulf Islands and parts of the coast.

Holding a covenant is an ongoing commitment. The covenant holder is responsible for monitoring the property — typically through an annual site visit — and for taking action if the terms of the covenant are not being met. This work continues in perpetuity.

For added security, the Conservancy and the Islands Trust Conservancy sometimes share legal responsibility for a covenant. Two qualified organizations holding a single covenant means that if one were ever unable to fulfil its role, the other remains in place. This kind of co-holding is considered best practice for permanent land protection.

THE ROLE OF THE ISLANDS TRUST CONSERVANCY

The Conservancy has a long working relationship with the Islands Trust Conservancy (ITC), which owns and manages nature reserves across the Islands Trust area, including Bowen Island.

Fairy Fen Nature Reserve and Singing Woods Nature Reserve are both owned by the Islands Trust Conservancy and managed locally by the Bowen Island Conservancy under approved management plans. This arrangement reflects a partnership model that draws on the strengths of both organizations: the ITC's provincial mandate and legal capacity, and the Conservancy's local knowledge and community presence.

Landowners interested in covenant protection may work with the Conservancy alone, with the Islands Trust Conservancy, or with both organizations together, depending on the property and the goals of the agreement.

FUNDRAISING, LEGACY GIFTS, AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Land protection on Bowen has been made possible by community support — individual donors, families, foundations, and people who have left gifts to the Conservancy in their wills. The purchase of the Wild Coast Nature Refuge drew on donations from across the island and beyond. The Cape Lands acquisition required significant community fundraising. Without that support, neither acquisition would have happened.

Legacy gifts — leaving a bequest to the Conservancy in your will — are one of the most meaningful ways to support permanent land protection. They often make possible the land purchases that are otherwise out of reach. If you are considering a legacy gift, we are glad to talk with you about how it could be used.

TALKING TO US ABOUT YOUR LAND

Every conversation is confidential.

If you own land on Bowen Island and are thinking about conservation options — whether a covenant, a donation, or just an early conversation — the Conservancy is glad to listen.

No two properties are the same, and no two conversations go the same direction. Sometimes the result is a formal agreement. Sometimes it is simply a better understanding of what options exist. Either way, talking early — before decisions about a property's future are made — leaves more possibilities open.

info@bowenislandconservancy.org | 604.612.6572

MORE INFORMATION

Land Trust Alliance of BC

Guides for landowners on covenants, the financial benefits of conservation, and how to implement an agreement.

→ ltabc.ca

Islands Trust Conservancy

The Conservancy's partner for covenant holding and nature reserve management across the Trust area.

→ islandstrust.bc.ca/conservancy/

CALL TO ACTION

[ Talk to Us About Your Land ] [ Learn About Conservation Covenants ] [ Support Land Protection — Donate ] [ Become a Member ]