The Role of the Denman Conservancy Association
One of the biggest challenges for groups wanting to create community amenities is finding suitable, affordable land. The Denman Island Natural Burial Cemetery was made possible through the interest and generosity of the Denman Conservancy Association (DCA), a local non-profit organization established in 1991 to promote the conservation of ecologically valuable land on Denman Island. In the spring of 2009, the DCA Board expressed an interest in donating land for a natural burial ground. Follow this link to hear DCA’s long-term vision for the Cemetery.
This intent was confirmed early in 2010, when the DCA general membership passed a resolution to donate one hectare of Central Park, a 60-hectare conservation/recreation property in the center of the Island. The gift was conditional on the establishment of a conservation covenant designed to protect the conservation values of the land while allowing its use as a natural burial ground.
Over the following two years, the DIMS and DCA boards worked together to craft terms for this unique type of covenant. The final draft was achieved in the fall of 2012, and the Conservation Covenant was registered on title in January, 2013, at the time of the land transfer. Following this, the two boards drafted a management plan, which was intended to cover the use of the land for the next five years. The Management Plan first endorsed in 2013 was updated in 2018.
By partnering with an established conservation organization that holds a conservation covenant for the Cemetery land and by following the principles of natural burial, DIMS has undertaken to meet the requirements for the highest category of the Green Burial Council Standards for burial grounds.