Province seeking input on proposed protected areas

Environment Minister Gordon Wilson has launched public consultations on six new protected areas.

“Protected areas not only help preserve natural habitat, but allow great opportunities for recreation, education and research, and tourism,” says Wilson, who is also the MLC for Clare-Digby. “I’m looking forward to hearing what Nova Scotians have to say about the proposed new and expanded protected areas.”

In September 2019, the province designated 17 new protected areas and promised more once consultation and survey work were complete.

The deadline to provide feedback is March 9.

The proposed new sites to be designated total about 8,000 hectares. Once the additional sites are designated, Nova Scotia will have 12.75 per cent protected land, or 705,000 hectares.

The following proposed sites are going through consultation:

• addition to Silver River Wilderness Area, Digby Co.

• Katowe’katik (McGowan Lake) Wilderness Area, Queens and Annapolis counties

• addition to Ship Harbour Long Lake Wilderness Area, Halifax Regional Municipality

• addition to Terence Bay Wilderness Area, Halifax Regional Municipality

• Pleasant River Wilderness Area, Queens and Lunenburg counties

• Archibald Lake Wilderness Area, Guysborough Co.

The following sites were promised in September and do not require consultation:

• St. Mary’s River Provincial Park, Guysborough and Pictou counties

• Barra Forest Provincial Park, Victoria Co.

• St. Margarets Bay Islands Nature Reserve, Halifax Regional Municipality and Lunenburg Co.

• Peppered Moon Nature Reserve, Queens Co.

Raymond Plourde, Senior Wilderness Coordinator at the Ecology Action Centre (EAC), says the province’s announcement is a welcome step in the fight to combat climate change and biodiversity loss.

“These additional protected areas will help Nova Scotia do its part to combat biodiversity collapse,” Plourde says, “I feel confident the province will hear that Nova Scotians want continued progress on protected areas."

The province has long promised to protect at least 13 per cent of land in Nova Scotia. The commitment was part of the 2013 Parks & Protected Areas Plan. The EAC has been pushing the province to uphold this plan for years.

According to the UN report on global biodiversity, more than one million species are at risk of extinction in our lifetime, and the trends that have pushed them to the brink continue.

"Habitat loss is the number one driver of species loss. It’s important for Nova Scotians to encourage the province to do more to protect the living biosphere and our precious little piece of the planet,” Plourde says.

Plourde is encouraging all Nova Scotians to participate in the consultation period.

“Tell the province to secure these six new protected areas, and encourage them to move quickly to protect all of the remaining sites included in the Parks & Protected Areas Plan.”