Rooted in local farm and ranch living Bidding now open for Reverse Auction for Grassland Restoration
The Saskatchewan Stock Growers Foundation has been awarded $2M to move ahead with hosting a Reverse Auction to restore once cultivated land back to native grassland. The primary land of interest is in the short and mixed grass regions of Saskatchewan and priority would be given to land close to existing grasslands or critical habitat for species at risk.
One of the top focuses for this project is monitoring native grassland’s ability to store and sequester soil organic carbon so land with an increased potential to do so will be given special consideration. Are you interested in converting cultivated land back to perennial cover using a native plant species blend? Place a bid in our Reverse Auction for a chance to receive financial compensation for your project and gain technical expertise/ insight for your project requirements.
Program Focus:
Increasing connectivity between existing grasslands; Increase habitat for species at risk that call grasslands home; Monitor the ability for native grasslands to sequester and store carbon; Increase resources for landowners wanting to make a difference for grasslands.
This is the second and final round of the program, with the first round successfully working to restore over 380 acres with 5 potential agreements! If you want to learn more or place a bid, please follow the link https://ssgf.ca/contact/ Bidding closes January 31, 2024.
-- What are the Focuses for the Project?
Monitoring the grasslands ability to store and sequester carbon; Increase connectivity of grassland habitat across the province; Increase habitat for animals that call the grasslands home including species at risk.
-- Importance of Grassland Restoration
Grasslands are one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world due to an
increase of land conversion to annual cropping and are an important part of Saskatchewan’s landscape. Converting cultivated lands back to grasslands will increase overall environmental biodiversity by increasing native plant cover and providing important habitat for species at risk. Restoring native grasslands in close proximity to existing grasslands also increases connectivity to reduce habitat fragmentation and this can be remarkably important in areas of designated critical habitat. In addition to these benefits grasslands are capable of storing and sequestering significant amounts of carbon.
-- What is a Reverse Auction?
The landowner is able to put a price on what it will cost them to convert land back to native grasslands and be maintained in perennial cover for a minimum of 30 years. The SSGF will source and purchase the native seed blend while the landowner is responsible for all other costs including land preparation and seeding, controlling invasive weeds, loss of profit and
changes in land value during and after restoration. Landowners must carefully calculate bids to consider all costs associated with grassland restoration. Once the landowner calculates how much it could cost them, they can use either the full cost of partial cost of their calculation in the bid. SSGF will consult with all interested landowners to ensure bids contain all appropriate information. If the bid is successful, they can ultimately receive compensation for the restoration project.
--Reverse Auction Steps
1. Landowners contact SSGF and express interest in restoring cropland back to perennial cover using native species. Information needed includes land location and number of acres. 2. SSGF consults with landowner regarding the land of interest and goes over cost considerations for placing a bid. 3. Landowner places bid to receive money for grassland restoration. 4. SSGF compares all bids to determine a standardized price for restoring crop land back to native grasslands. 5.
Successful bidders are selected based on the standardized price created from the levels of all bids submitted and the level of individual bids compared to this price. All landowners are contacted regarding the status of their bids. 6. Restoration Starts: Landowners receive compensation to begin restoration projects.
SSGF will negotiate a legally binding Habitat Restoration Agreement with successful bidders. Bidders must agree to maintain the land in native grass for a minimum of 30 years. Other restrictions may be negotiated as part of the agreement, such as maintaining existing wetlands, and avoiding developing roads or yardsites within the restoration area. These agreements are not tied to title. Additional funding is available if the producer is interested in signing a Term Conservation Easement that is tied to the land title. Monitoring will have to be carried out multiple times a year on the land to ensure project success. Communication with landowners will be forefront for when this monitoring needs to take place.