Nova Scotia is one of the most beautiful places on earth. From the steep canyon slopes of the Margaree River to the sand dunes of Sand Hills Beach, Nova Scotia’s parks and protected areas support recreation, tourism, research, and education.

They also preserve nature, and offer us a place to escape, be adventurous, and just have fun. And they make a big impact on local economies, providing jobs and attracting visitor dollars in nearby communities.

Your input on Our Parks and Protected Areas: A Proposed Plan for Nova Scotia will ensure that these areas continue to thrive. The plan delivers on two important government commitments:

1. Update Nova Scotia’s park system to secure and strengthen its long-term success
2. Increase Nova Scotia’s legally protected landmass to at least 12 per cent by 2015

Our Parks and Protected Areas proposes to add, expand, and reassign a number of areas, including the following:

Add

• 4 new provincial parks (960 ha)
• 44 new wilderness areas (126 020 ha)
• 120 new nature reserves (33 690 ha)

Expand

• 12 provincial parks (3940 ha)
• 32 wilderness areas (72 070 ha)
• 10 nature reserves (4330 ha)

Transfer

• In order to create a more effective parks and protected areas system, the plan proposes to transfer 2150 hectares of provincial parklands to protected areas and 1000 hectares of parklands to Crown land (still available for public use).

With these changes, the proposed parks and protected areas system would include

• 205 provincial parks
• 84 wilderness areas
• 142 nature reserves