What Was Learned

In reviewing the many diverse comments and submissions and listening to discussions during the consultation process the following are some of the thoughts and ideas that stood out overall among many others with respect to the best use of the Crown land in Western Nova Scotia to ensure economic, social and environmental benefits.

Participants in the consultation process on the best use of the Crown land in Western Nova Scotia overall:

Want to be involved in managing their land

• Believe that the land is owned by Nova Scotians and they should therefore have access to it to use, enjoy and benefit from
• Were pleased to have the opportunity to give input on the planning process and want to know how their input will be used and how the planning process is progressing
• Want ongoing transparency and engagement in decision-making and the management of the resources through consultation processes, keeping the stakeholder list open to new participants
• Are willing to look at ways to co-manage the Crown lands so that it is available for all to use and would consider a fee system, perhaps administered via All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) associations, to help maintain and care for the trails

Want long term environmental, social and economic sustainability

• Want it to be managed sustainably for the long-term and want a plan developed carefully to reflect that
• Want the development and uses of the resources to benefit the local and provincial economy with well-paying, sustainable, year round jobs and business opportunities - for example limit long term licenses and control given over to large companies
• Want fairness in use of the resources so smaller operators are not disadvantaged
• Are not fully aware of the diversity of resources present in the Western Crown lands and may benefit from more education on this topic and how it can be sustainably used e.g. mineral exploration
• Want to see the land used in a way that considers what it can best produce – is it more valuable to protect ecologically, to use for agriculture, mineral exploration, forestry production or other?
• Want to see broader thinking as to usage, and innovative, new, value added products come out of the land (not just fibre for pulp)
• Want to use the land for leisure and tourism including hiking, fishing, hunting canoeing and see this access as a way to ensure some protection of the land (for example by reporting anything suspicious going on)
• See possibilities for eco-tourism in hiking, fishing, hunting, canoeing and also for ATV trail loop development

Recognize that different uses need to be balanced

• Want to see the land protected along with wildlife, plants and bio-diverse areas
• ATV users as well as conservationists want to be able to enjoy the land and in varying degrees make sure it is not damaged
• See the importance of protecting watersheds, habitats and bio-diversity in environmentally sensitive areas
• See the need to balance environmental, social and economic sustainability
• Want a balanced approach to forest management seeing the forests as eco-systems that can be the most productive when treated in this way
• Are open to looking at camp leases or the sales of some lands to generate socio economic gains where environmentally feasible
• Indicate that some points need to be better clarified to ensure wide understanding such as the term sustainability