Investing in our ecosystems and our future
Island Nature Trust is dedicated to protecting spaces and species on Prince Edward Island
It might come as a surprise to learn that Prince Edward Island has the highest human population density of any Canadian province. This brings an extra level of urgency to the task of protecting the province’s natural areas and wildlife habitats.
“We really have to make a conscious effort to protect and invest in our intact ecosystems,” says Island Nature Trust Executive Director, Bianca McGregor. “We need our valuable natural areas for the ecosystem services they provide. When nature is protected, we are protected.”
Carbon sequestration, clean air, flood protection and filtered groundwater are just some of those finite and priceless ecosystem services that support life on the Island.
This reality was brought home with fury just recently with the force of Hurricane Fiona. While the storm caused extensive damage, ecosystems shielded the province from more severe destruction.
Intact forests absorbed much of the storm’s destructive energy, protecting homes from the full force of the winds. Anchored by the roots of marram grass and other native plants, the dune system on the north shore provided a protective barrier, while wetlands absorbed wave energy, slowing the speed of wind and flood waters before they reached properties further inland.
Founded in 1979 by a coalition of environmentally-minded citizens and biologists, Island Nature Trust is a membershipbased, non-government charity dedicated to land conservation on P.E.I. The organization put its name on the map in the 1980s, with its efforts to protect the Greenwich dune system in St. Peters. This extensive and fragile coastal dune system became a national park in 1998. But that might not have been possible without the intervention of the Trust a decade earlier, when a proposal was put forward to lift the area’s protected status to make way for development.
As a private land trust, Island Nature Trust today owns 8,468 acres of land on the Island, which is protected in perpetuity.
“We also help private landowners protect their own land under the Natural Areas Protection Act,” McGregor says. “We’ve worked to protect more than 1,000 acres with private owners. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who owns the land – we just want to see it protected for conservation purposes.
Wildlife protection is another important component of Island Nature Trust’s mandate, as it works to mitigate the impact of habitat loss, human disturbance and competition from invasive species. With initiatives such as the Piping Plover Conservation Program, Island Nature Trust works to protect species that are resident, migratory and at-risk.
“If we truly care about protecting our Island’s ecosystems, we have to protect its most vulnerable residents,” says Shannon Mader, Species at Risk Program Manager with Island Nature Trust. “Our primary focus is on species in the coastal ecosystem.”
While much of Canada has ample tracts of uninhabited land, P.E.I. does not. The size of an average parcel of land acquired by the Island Nature Trust – whether by donation or sale at fair market value – is just 75 acres. This makes the organization’s mission more daunting, as it attempts to meet its conservation targets, McGregor points out.
“Our counterparts in other provinces, for example, might be able to meet their annual target with a single acquisition, while we have to work on dozens.”
Some 4.9 per cent of the province’s land is now protected, and McGregor says reaching 7 per cent by 2030 and 10 per cent overall are reasonable goals, which would represent another 75,000 acres of protected land when final targets are reached.
The Island’s population continues to grow, bringing increased demand for homes and services. McGregor emphasizes that Island Nature Trust is not opposed to new development as a result of population increases.
“We just need to be smarter about how and where we allow new developments.”
The efforts to preserve and steward a network of natural areas and wildlife habitats will pay dividends for future generations. Island Nature Trust will continue to work in partnership with Islanders who share those values and goals.
“It’s important that Islanders know what Island Nature Trust is all about, because we can’t meet our conservation goals without their support,” McGregor says. “The work that we are doing to protect our Island right now will have lasting benefits for their children and grandchildren.”
To learn more about Island Nature Trust, their conservation efforts, and their fundraising goals for the upcoming year, visit https://islandnaturetrust.ca/.