Indigenous activists and conservation groups say Nova Scotia needs to set a higher target for land protection as it comes close to reaching its 13 per cent goal
Katie Hartai
Halifax Today
October 20, 2020
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“In the beginning the 13 per cent was a great goal, but the more I learn and share, the more I realize that’s not where we should stop,” she says. “We definitely need to increase that number to allow for more Indigenous-led conservation but also to create more protected spaces for all of Nova Scotia and the people here.”
Melissa Labrador, Mi’kmaw Activist
Chris Miller [executive director of CPAWS NS] says the province needs to make more space for Indigenous-led conservation in the spirit of reconciliation, but also to sustain the health of the planet for everyone.
“The Nova Scotia government may be trying to get to 13 per cent and think that is the end of it, but that’s not supported by the best science and certainly a lot more protection is needed,” he says.
… CPAWS is calling on the province to begin by protecting all of the properties outlined in Nova Scotia’s 2013 Parks and Protected Areas Plan – including Owl’s Head Provincial Park which was secretly delisted from the plan in late 2019.
Miller says there are still about 200 sites identified in the plan that are pending protection.
