Here is an overview of the various conservation options

Land donation
To ensure that your land will be protected in perpetuity, you can donate all or part of it to a land trust or other conservation organization, which will, in turn, administer it. You can also donate land to public entities such as governments, crown corporations, or municipalities.

An ecological gift of land (ecogift) offers the tax benefits associated with charitable contributions. The tax incentives vary in accordance with the financial situation of the owner and the value of the donation.

If your property meets the ecological criteria of Quebec's ministère du Développement Durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs (MDDEP) as an ecological gift, you could receive a tax rebate from both the federal government and the provincial governments (in accordance with Environment Canada's ecological gifts program).


Conservation servitudes
If you wish to retain ownership of your property or continue to live on it, you may establish a conservation agreement between yourself and a land conservation organization under which you guarantee the long-term protection of your property while remaining its owner.

Conservation servitudes are legal agreements that define the elements to be protected on your land. Under the terms of such an agreement, you would give up certain activities on the property that would negatively affect the natural features of the site. These could include construction, logging, draining wetlands or development. The type and extent of the restrictions covered by the servitude would depend on the ecological character of the site and the types of protection appropriate for its conservation.

The organization holding the conservation servitude must ensure compliance with the terms of the agreement. Monitoring usually involves an annual visit to the site.

A conservation servitude, which is attached to the property deed, can protect the property in perpetuity through the restrictions placed on it. This servitude will therefore be passed on to any purchasers or heirs.

If your property meets the ecological criteria of MDDEP, the gift of a conservation servitude could entitle you to some tax advantages from the federal government (in accordance with Environment Canada's and MDDEP’s ecological gifts program).


A nature reserve
The Act respecting voluntary reserves on private land adopted by the Quebec government in 2001 could enable you to have your property declared a private nature reserve. For this to happen, you must conclude an agreement to that effect either directly with Quebec's MDDEP or with a conservation organization, which will then submit the application to the minister on your behalf.

Designation of a property as a nature reserve protects it for a minimum of twenty-five years or for as long as in perpetuity. The landowner who designates his property as a nature reserve could also benefit from municipal tax exemptions


Sale
As a landowner, you have a number of options: you may choose to sell all your property for its fair market value to a conservation organization that will protect it in perpetuity; you may sell it at a reduced price or agree to be paid in instalments; or you may choose to sell your property in stages. All of these possibilities should be explored with professionals and the conservation organization with which you wish to do business.


Other options
Instead of selling your land outright, you may choose to draw up a management agreement with a conservation organization or even rent your land to it. These options do not, however, offer long-term protection guarantees or any particular tax benefits.