The Natural Area Protection Tax Exemption Program (NAPTEP) is a joint program between Islands Trust and Islands Trust Conservancy that provides financial incentive to choose land protection over development. When you register a conservation covenant through NAPTEP, you receive an annual property tax exemption of 65% on the protected portion of your land.
This means you save money annually in exchange for leaving the natural areas on your land alone for native species to enjoy. These tax savings can add up quickly, depending on the size of the land you’re able to protect.
To Qualify for a NAPTEP Covenant
You must own land in the Islands Trust Area. The covenant area must be at least 2ha (5 acres) in size.
The NAPTEP Focus
While all natural areas are important, NAPTEP focuses on properties with specific natural values, including:
- Sensitive ecosystems (including cliffs and coastal bluffs, wetlands and creeks, woodlands, old & mature forests)
- Key habitats for rare or at-risk native plant species or plant communities (e.g. Coastal Douglas-fir, oak and arbutus woodlands, etc.)
- Habitat critical to native wildlife for breeding, rearing, feeding or important life-stage activities (e.g. Heron rookeries, turtle nest sites, wetlands/ponds, etc.)
- Special geological features (e.g. caves, springs, tombolos)
Register a Conservation Covenant
To find out if a conservation covenant for your land will help you achieve your vision we recommend you read Islands Trust Conservancy’s information on registering a conservation covenant.
A conservation covenant can be individually tailored to you and your land. We’d love to talk to you about your vision for conservation and discuss options to help you meet that vision.
We recommend that anyone contemplating a conservation covenant also talk with independent financial and legal advisors. If your advisor is not familiar with covenants, we would be happy to provide additional information.
In some circumstances, Islands Trust Conservancy can help you with the costs of protecting your land if financial hardship makes it difficult for you to cover these costs. Islands Trust offers a sponsorship program to assist with the NAPTEP application fees, subject to available annual budget. The Conservancy may also have funds available for further financial support; these funds are limited and subject to change, depending on our annual budget and the number of requests we receive.
Please discuss your situation with staff early in the process to determine what is available and what arrangements can be made. Please contact our Ecosystem Protection Specialist to discuss potential costs of protecting your land, and options for funding support. For more information about application fee sponsorship, visit Islands Trust’s Application Sponsorship webpage.