Status of Nova Scotia Wild Plant Species Assessed

NATURAL RESOURCES--Status of Nova Scotia Wild Plant Species Assessed

Information on more than 1,600 wild plant species found in Nova Scotia is now available on the Department of Natural Resources' Web site.

A team of scientists and experts from provincial government departments, universities and conservation agencies spent several hundred hours over four years assessing the general status of all known plant species that occur in the province.

"This is the first comprehensive review of all wild plants in the province," said Natural Resources Minister Tim Olive. "I want to thank all the individuals who volunteered their time and offered their professional expertise to this large undertaking. The information can now be used when we are making decisions pertaining to environmental and land-use planning."

The Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk in Canada commits the provinces, territories and federal government to monitoring the general status of all wild species.

"This assessment process provides an early-warning system that helps us ensure that native species do not become extinct," said Mark Elderkin, the species-at-risk biologist with Natural Resources and chair of the working group. "The general status assessment process is one of several tools the Department of Natural Resources uses to monitor wild species and prevent them from becoming at risk."

Results of the project showed that about one-third of the wild plants are non-native species that were accidently or deliberately introduced into the wild. The remaining plants are native to Nova Scotia. About 8 per cent are considered at risk or may be at risk, 11 per cent are sensitive to human activities, 60 per cent are considered to be secure and about 20 per cent were not assessed because of a lack of information.

The information on the status of Nova Scotia's wild plant species is now included in the department's wild species database, at www.gov.ns.ca/natr/wildlife/genstatus .