The program is designed to acquire what is referred to as a full or partial interest in the land. A full interest is purchase of the land itself, called fee-simple title. In other situations the land remains in private ownership. For example, for a rancher in prairie Canada who has native prairie, there could be a conservation easement. That rancher continues to manage the land, and the conservation easement provides protection to the native prairie. Ranchers in that example are important because grazing mimics the disturbance that plains bison used to provide. That native prairie will not be healthy habitat without that kind of management approach.
On March 10th, 2015. See this statement in context.