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Nova Scotia • Protected Areas • Lands and Regulations • Issues & AdvocacyThis data was accurate as of April 2008.
Page Index
Land description:
Brief history (prior to initiation of land use plan
and development) In 1990 Nova Scotia began an initiative to establish a system of Protected Areas, which lead to the designation of “31” selected sites in 1998. In 1992, the Canadian Parks Ministers Council signed A Statement of Commitment to Complete Canada’s Networks of Protected Areas, by the year 2000. The 1992 Sustainable Development Strategy for Nova Scotia stated the goals: “complete a network of protected areas adequately representing each of the province’s theme regions”. Under this Strategy and the 1992 Endangered Spaces Commitment, the provincial government committed to protecting wilderness lands in each of Nova Scotia’s 80 natural landscapes by the year 2000. In 1994, the Whitehorse Mining Initiative was signed to provide a strategic vision for a healthy mining industry in the context of maintaining healthy and diverse ecosystems in Canada. Among other things it called for establishing an ecologically based system of protected areas. Representatives of five sectors agreed to participate. They were the mining industry, senior governments, labour unions, Aboriginal peoples, and the environmental community. A report from the Land Access Issue group was released in 1994. The Proposed Systems Plan for Parks and Protected Areas in Nova Scotia (1994) calls for representation of all 80 natural landscape types and maintenance of biological diversity through broader landscape planning and management. Prior to this plan only 7 of the 80 natural landscapes were designated as protected areas. The 1998 Wilderness Areas Protection Act lists maintenance of biodiversity and the integrity of natural processes as its first objective. The 31 areas of Crown land selected for protection under this act were designated by legislation in December 1998.
Process
of development/consultation Following the “31” site selection, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) began a planning process called the Integrated Resource Management (IRM) Plan (2000). This is a planning exercise to determine future uses, examine resource conflicts and determine long-term land use objectives for 28% of Nova Scotia’s publicly owned Crown lands including nearly 1.2 million hectares of unprotected public land. By the fall of 2000, DNR completed 24 public information sessions around the province as well as receiving written comments of public review of the IRM. Over 1500 individuals and companies across the province provided input identifying over 4300 issues on crown land.
PAS
implementation and candidate PA selection process The teams assigned every parcel of Crown land into three land use classifications:
The IRM document, Managing Natural Resources on Crown Land, acknowledged the need to base planning on ecological units. Phase II of the IRM consists of the development of Long Range Management Frameworks (LRMFs) for each of the 39 eco-districts. DNR is currently developing the LRMF process via a pilot project for the Mulgrave Plateau eco-district. This pilot project is expected to be completed by early 2004. After review of the pilot process, the other three planning regions will then proceed simultaneously, so that several LRMFs will be underway at any given time. Other candidate selection procedures are through the donation of private land for tax relief or cash, and the Campaign for Conservation, started in 2000, which is three year partnership initiative of DNR and the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) for the protection of private land. The Wilderness Act calls for voluntary stewardship of private land adjacent to or affecting wilderness areas.
Results Thirty-one (31) areas of Crown land were selected for protection, under the 1998 Wilderness Areas Protection Act, and designated by legislation in December 1998. These protected areas represent a total of almost 285,700ha, approximately 19% of Crown land and more than 5% of all land in Nova Scotia. The legislation also states that the lands will not be put into the National Park system and that property rights (eg. mineral titles) that pre-date the 1993 moratorium for the 31 sites will be honoured until their expiry. In August 2000, Nova Scotia stated that more than 8% of the province’s land base is now protected and that the Department of Environment (DOE) will “soon begin the process to update Nova Scotia’s Protected Areas Strategy”. Management planning will be initiated for individual wilderness areas on a priority basis. In 2002, the Minister of Environment in collaboration with the Nova Scotia Nature Trust established a committee to examine and advance recommendations on how to best address barriers to private land stewardship, such as tax incentives. The committee also includes representatives from the NCC and other provincial government departments. As of 2002, 26 of 80 natural landscapes have been afforded various levels of protection in National and Provincial Parks and Wilderness areas (DNR). In October 2004, 652.2ha were added to six existing wilderness areas, and in December 2004, four new nature reserves of 1,780.5ha were added. In November 2007, the government announced plans to protect 14,000ha on the Eastern Shore.
Private Lands Feb.11/2003: NCC and Bowater Mersey Paper Company Limited and the Province of Nova Scotia announced a conservation partnership with potential to add more than 1500ha to the existing network of protected areas in NS, within existing Wilderness areas. Bowater has donated over 33,590 hectares for conservation since the 1970’s. More than 4,000ha have been protected under the NCC stewardship since 1972.
Post-completion and on-going issues
First nations land claim settlements
FURTHER
INFORMATION
Natural Resources (Mineral Resources Branch) www.gov.ns.ca/natr/meb/index.htm
Environment www.gov.ns.ca/nse/
Parks www.parks.gov.ns.ca/
Tourism, Culture and Heritage www.gov.ns.ca/dtc/
Non-governmentalll< organizations
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