Nova Scotia’s Minister of the Environment announced on Thursday that the government has expanded protected land in the province, but this move has drawn criticism from environmentalists and the interim Liberal leader. In response to a question from Iain Rankin during a session, Tim Halman stated that the government has safeguarded 14.55% of the province, nearing its target of 15% by the year’s end. The increase from 13.8% was achieved through the utilization of other effective area-based conservation measures (OECM), which involve protecting land unsuitable for forestry activities, such as steep slopes or buffer zones around watercourses and forestry sites.
Halman explained that OECMs are a means to safeguard land identified in the province’s 2023 collaborative protected areas strategy. This strategy highlighted that OECMs constituted 1.2% of protected land, with wilderness areas making up around 70% and national park and wildlife areas accounting for 20%. The minister emphasized the importance of balancing conservation efforts with economic development for future generations.
Ange Whiteway, from the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society-Nova Scotia, expressed concerns about including wildlife clumps and buffer zones in the protected land calculations, stating that the focus should be on protecting areas of high conservation value that house rare species and ecosystems crucial to Nova Scotians.
The government’s shift in emphasis for protected land may lead to the loss of millions of dollars in federal funding. The Canada-Nova Scotia Nature Agreement, set to conclude in March, provided $25 million to increase protected areas by 82,500 hectares. With $12.5 million remaining as of last October, there are uncertainties about whether all the allocated funds will be utilized, potentially impacting the legal designation of proposed protected areas.
Whiteway voiced concerns that areas on the protection list for over a decade, encompassing important coastal regions, old-growth forests, significant water bodies, and habitat for endangered species, might not receive the necessary protection. The future of protected areas in the province could be at risk if these crucial areas are not prioritized for conservation efforts.