News release

Progress Made in Protection of Natural Areas

Natural Resources (to July 2018)

NATURAL RESOURCES Progress Made in Protection of Natural Areas


Nova Scotia has made dramatic progress in meeting its commitments to establish a comprehensive system of parks and protected areas by 2000.

On Tuesday, Aug. 15, at a meeting in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada's parks ministers released a joint report highlighting the accomplishments to date by the provinces and territories.

"Nova Scotia now ranks near the top of provincial and territorial efforts to meet our commitment on protected areas," said Natural Resources Minister Ernest Fage. "More than eight per cent of the province's land base is now protected."

In 1990, Nova Scotia began an initiative to establish a system of protected areas, which led to 31 wilderness areas being designated by legislation in December of 1998. These wilderness areas total almost 300,000 hectares of land, which is about 20 per cent of Crown land in the province and more than five per cent of all land in the province.

"Nova Scotia's accomplishments were recognized in a July report by the World Wildlife Fund," said acting Environment Minister Michael Baker. "Nova Scotia, along with British Columbia and Manitoba, led the country in terms of areas protected."

In this report, Nova Scotia was ranked first for the proportion of natural regions moderately or adequately represented by protected areas (44.2 per cent); third in percentage of land protected between 1989 and 2000 (5.79 per cent); and sixth in total percentage of the province protected (8.3 per cent).

"Protection of our natural areas is a challenge in Nova Scotia because almost 70 per cent of the province is privately owned," said Mr. Baker. "Additional protection must involve private landowners through voluntary stewardship initiatives."

Mr. Baker said that the Department of the Environment will soon begin a process to update Nova Scotia's Protected Areas Strategy (1997) to ensure continuing progress into this century. Management planning will be initiated for individual wilderness areas on a priority basis.

"Protected areas are essential, not only to maintain biodiversity and a healthy environment, but also as the infrastructure that supports our rapidly growing nature tourism industry and provides quality outdoor recreational opportunities for residents of our beautiful province."

"This is just one of the initiatives in which the province is committed to managing and protecting our environment," said Mr. Fage. "Other initiatives include support of the National Forest Accord, The National Biodiversity Strategy and our provincial endangered species legislation.