Certainly, the receipt to the donor is going to be the same in either case. The problem is the recipient organization. The motivation of that organization is going to vary, and if it's land in south Edmonton, heck, if you gave it to the United Way, their fiduciary obligation is to maximize the resources of the charity, so arguably as a charity law lawyer, I'd have to say you sell it to the developer, because that's how you maximize the charitable resources of the organization.
Unfortunately, that means that land isn't protected in perpetuity. There's no dancing around that one, unfortunately, and that is the concern my members have with respect to that.
The ecological gifts program originated out of Environment Canada as part of a multi-pronged approach to deal with the issues of species at risk and dwindling habitat. They have sticks in terms of enforcement provisions for offenders, but they also developed carrots, and this was the carrot that was developed out of Environment Canada to encourage the protection of this land. That program has developed very gradually over time into the one that it is because of the results it has demonstrated.