Funding Will Help Purchase Lands for Protection

The province is investing $6.5 million to purchase land so it can be protected in the future.

Community Services Minister Denise Peterson-Rafuse made the announcement on behalf of Environment Minister Sterling Belliveau, today, Nov. 21, as part of the province's new capital plan to make life better for families.

"This investment will help us to protect outstanding natural lands and the plants and animals that rely on them for survival," said Ms. Peterson-Rafuse. "It's important to preserve Nova Scotia's natural spaces for our children and grandchildren to use and enjoy well into the future."

This is the second time in Nova Scotia's history that government is releasing some details of its capital plan in advance of the spring budget. This sends a clear signal of what the province intends to do in the coming year.

The $6.5 million will be available in the 2012-13 fiscal year to go toward purchasing land for legal protection in the future. The land will be chosen based on its ecological and environmental importance.

Nova Scotia has a legislated goal to legally protect 12 per cent of its land by 2015. Consultation on potential protected areas is currently underway, and the public is invited to comment by February 10, 2012.

For more information on the 12 per cent goal and protected areas in Nova Scotia, visit http://gov.ns.ca/nse/12percent/.

The province's new capital plan will invest millions of dollars to make life better for families. It will create good jobs, grow the economy, and provide better health care for all Nova Scotians. The capital plan invests in projects that are most important to Nova Scotians like emergency rooms, schools, roads, hospital equipment and the environment.