We are a partnership between BC Hydro, the Province of B.C., Fisheries and Oceans Canada, First Nations and public stakeholders to conserve and enhance fish and wildlife in watersheds impacted by BC Hydro dams.

BC Hydro has water licence obligations in the Columbia and Peace regions, and has made voluntary commitments to address the impacts of dams of the Coastal Region. BC Hydro fulfils the applicable obligations through the work of the FWCP.

BC Hydro works in equal partnership with the Province of B.C., Fisheries and Oceans Canada, First Nations, and public stakeholders by participating on FWCP’s regional Boards

Our three regional boards approved $9.2 million for 72 projects in 2025-2026, including 22 projects in our Coastal Region, 25 in our Columbia Region, and 25 in our Peace Region. Read our project lists. See our project map.

The Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program (FWCP) acknowledges that the projects we fund are located on the unceded traditional territories and treaty lands of Indigenous peoples who have been caretakers of the land since time immemorial. We are committed to advancing reconciliation with Indigenous peoples through learning, acknowledging, engaging and building respectful relationships as we further implement conservation and enhancement of fish and wildlife in watersheds impacted by BC Hydro dams.

Our three strategic objectives form the basis of our regional action plans. The objectives also support meeting both BC Hydro’s water license conditions in our Columbia and Peace regions and its commitment and intent when voluntarily establishing the FWCP in the Coastal Region in partnership with the Province of B.C., Fisheries and Oceans Canada, First Nations, and the public.

Conservation
Maintain or improve:
1. The status, functionality, and resilience of ecosystems within the FWCP’s three regions.
2. The status of species of interest and their habitats within the FWCP’s three regions.
3. Opportunities for harvesting , non-consumptive and other uses, now and into the future, in recognition that many species of interest have high social and cultural value.

Indigenous Engagement
Strengthen and foster relationships with Indigenous Peoples and communities. This will be addressed in part by strengthening Indigenous engagement in decision-making, project planning, and delivery that supports the FWCP’s conservation objectives.

Community Engagement
Strengthen and foster partnerships and/or relationships with stakeholders, citizens, and agencies that support the FWCP’s conservation objectives.

The FWCP blends its obligation to address dam impacts with a forward looking approach that recognizes continual adaptation will be required in a dynamic natural environment in order to achieve the FWCP’s vision of thriving fish and wildlife populations in watersheds that are functioning and sustainable.

The FWCP also considers the objectives and priorities of its program partners. The projected local impacts of climate change, cumulative effects on the landscape, emerging ecological issues, and other factors will require the FWCP to respond in ways that will protect past conservation efforts and contribute to the resilience of our watersheds and ecosystems in the future, while remaining focused on its overall mission to conserve and enhance fish and wildlife in watersheds impacted by BC Hydro dams.

In 2019 we completed an independent, third-party evaluation and financial audit as required by our Governance Manual. Outcomes of this evaluation and financial audit will be used to refine, support and strengthen our approach to conserving and enhancing fish and wildlife in watersheds impacted by BC Hydro dams. Read the Evaluation and Financial Audit Summary.