Three Nova Scotian islands designated as National Wildlife Areas
When I started working for CPAWS-NS in the summer of 2023, one of my first tasks was to write a submission in support of the amendments to the Wildlife Area Regulations to designate three islands as National Wildlife Areas. I was fresh into the role of a conservation campaigner, and I was nervous about my first contribution to our organization’s mission to establish protected areas. Since then, I’ve submitted numerous letters and comments during public consultations in support of environmental protections. Seeing a process reach its end stage of legal designation is certainly a special feeling.
It is therefore my pleasure to share that the Federal Department of Environment and Climate Change (ECCC) recently announced the official designation of those same three Nova Scotian islands that I campaigned for almost two years ago. St. Paul Island, Isle Haute, and Country Island have existing protections under the Species at Risk Act or the Migratory Birds Convention Act, but the official designation as National Wildlife Areas (NWAs) under the Canada Wildlife Act strengthens the protections of these special places and the species found there. This designation brings Canada’s total number of NWAs to 60.
These islands contain significant conservation values, most notably as important habitat for numerous species of birds, including at-risk species. They also contain unique features, like 100m high cliffs on Isle Haute or two freshwater lakes on St. Paul Island. These islands are also important for the Mi’kmaq, who have frequented these areas for millennia as traditional meeting places, as stopping grounds during long paddles, or as foraging areas. The Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) is currently in discussions with Indigenous groups about applying Mi’kmaw names to these protected areas.
Getting to this point wasn’t a quick process, however. In the 90s and early 2000s, work was underway to declare these islands as important for conservation. This includes declaring Important Bird Areas for St Paul Island and Country Island, and preventing the public sale of Isle Haute. These islands were also included in the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ identification of Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) in the Bay of Fundy and around Nova Scotia’s Atlantic coast. In July 2023, a 30-day public consultation began for the amendments to the Wildlife Area Regulations in order to create these three NWAs. It wasn’t until now, in January 2025, that these islands officially received their designations as NWAs.
While I am excited for the designation of these three island NWAs, I want to impress upon our readers that we still believe the process of designating protected areas takes too long. It took about two decades from the time these islands were initially identified as important areas for conservation until their ultimate designation as protected areas. While a site is awaiting official designation and the protection that comes along with it, we risk further ecological degradation and biodiversity loss.
Myself and the rest of the CPAWS-NS team will continue to fight for the timely protection of ecologically important places in Nova Scotia, and ensure that our sensitive species and habitats are conserved for future generations to come.
Thanks for reading, and now you can take a breath of fresh air knowing that these special places are finally protected!
Madie