TAKE ACTION: Nova Scotia government may use fake protected areas to achieve land protection targets
The Nova Scotia government could use a type of inadequate protected area to achieve provincial land protection targets. We urgently need your voice to STOP THIS from happening.
If these areas are counted towards Nova Scotia’s land protection targets, this would be disastrous for conservation.
Recently, the Nova Scotia Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Timothy Halman, said that the province has achieved 14.5% protection of the provincial landmass using something called Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs). The government has not stated where these sites are located, what conservation values are being protected, or if these are permanent conservation sites. There has also been no public consultation.
This is NOT how protected areas planning should be undertaken.
Land protection needs to be done right, and we have the tools to do it through fully implementing the Nova Scotia: Our Parks and Protected Areas Plan. That means establishing legislated protected areas to safeguard high-value ecosystems and community values for now AND future generations.
Why NOW?
Through the Canada-Nova Scotia Nature Agreement, the Nova Scotia government has the opportunity to use federal funding to create 82,500 hectares of new protected and conserved areas by March 31, 2026. This is now 1 week away.
What can YOU do?
Please write Premier Tim Houston and express your concern about the lack of progress on creating protected and conserved areas in Nova Scotia. Call for designation of all remaining wilderness areas, nature reserves, and provincial parks in the Nova Scotia: Our Parks and Protected Areas Plan without further delay.
We have made it quick and easy to send a letter. Thank you for using your voice to help protect nature in Nova Scotia.
