Who we are
We've been working together to protect nature since 1996.
On a Sunday morning in February 1996, twenty-two Bowen Islanders gathered to hear writer and conservationist Des Kennedy talk about the conservancy movement. They left with a steering committee and began learning what a local conservancy could do.
The years that followed brought conservation covenants, stewardship partnerships and a growing body of ecological knowledge. Fairy Fen and Singing Woods became lasting examples of local care in partnership with Islands Trust Conservancy.
Community support made the 32-acre Wild Coast Nature Refuge possible in 2020. In 2024 the Conservancy acquired 160 additional acres at Cape Roger Curtis from Metro Vancouver. The 2026 Biodiversity Plan and Board-approved Strategic Plan now provide a broader island-wide foundation for the years ahead.
Today, we are a community land trust, a BC society and a registered Canadian charity.
Our work is based on the community’s efforts. Volunteers, members, donors, researchers, and partner organisations contribute the time, knowledge, and support behind permanent land protection, careful stewardship, and useful public information.
Our vision is that Nex̱wlélex̱wm Bowen Island lands and waters remain thriving, connected, and resilient.
OUR MISSION
is to protect, preserve, and restore Nex̱wlélex̱wm Bowen Island’s biodiverse ecosystems by advancing science-based stewardship, inspiring shared responsibility over the long term, and establishing the Bowen Island Conservancy as a trusted and responsive conservation leader. → Get involved
What we're doing
PROTECTING PLACES
We purchase or receive donations of land, use conservation covenants, and help residents to evaluate opportunities where permanent land protection may be possible.
CARING FOR LAND
Protection begins a continuing responsibility. Stewardship includes ecological assessment, monitoring, restoration planning, trail care, and responses to changing conditions.
BUILDING KNOWLEDGE
Our work is grounded in science and community knowledge. Research partnerships, mapping, and community observations help us to determine the locations of sensitive areas, and what’s present in them from an ecological and biodiversity perspective, where risks of adverse impact are growing, and which decisions may matter most in ensuring long term protection.
GROWING SHARED CARE
We take a broad perspective on the protection of Bowen Island’s natural environment. Public learning, practical guidance, and opportunities to participate in multiple ways help conservation-minded thinking and actions to reach beyond the land held by the Conservancy to the greater island’s environment.