Program Description
Funding through the Nature Smart Climate Readiness Program (NSCRP, or “Nature Smart”) supports two separate project categories: conserving existing
wetland projects or establishing new
wetland projects. Wetlands directly support nature–based solutions to store and capture carbon, mitigate the impacts of climate change, improve water quality, and contribute to biodiversity
Existing wetland projects under the Nature Smart program pertain to conserving, protecting, and enhancing existing wetlands to maintain and increase carbon storage and
sequestration.
Projects to support wetland restoration under the Nature Smart program pertain to the establishment of a new wetland on agricultural land suitable for a wetland but where there is currently no wetland (e.g., the wetland has been drained, or the land is being used for other purposes).
A single project cannot include both conservation of existing wetlands and restoration of a new wetland – these would be separate projects. Conserved or restored wetland projects cannot be used for agricultural production, including being accessed by livestock as a water source.