It was reported this week that “Prince George, 7, Was Devastated Learning About the State of our Planet.”

A little perspective for Nova Scotians: Prince George was born the same year that our provincial government committed to 13% land conservation.

Now he’s old enough to be anxious about wildlife extinction, asking “Why has it come to this?” In the time it took the young prince to go from infancy to eco-anxiety, our government still hasn’t achieved its modest goal of legally protecting 13% of our province.

Jim Vibert recently reported this failure as “a dereliction of duty” since “Nova Scotia’s parks and protected areas plan was complete — following years of consultation and consideration — when the Liberal government arrived.”

Raymond Plourde, Wilderness Coordinator for the Ecology Action Centre, says, “The Premier of NS can easily, with the stroke of a pen and passing a cabinet motion, protect all of the areas in the PPA Plan and get us advanced… that’s something we need to do as part of our responsibility in the global effort.”

Dozens of properties from Our Parks and Protected Areas Plan are stuck in limbo or worse… subject to backroom development deals like Owls Head Provincial Park.

Our 13% land conservation goal is considerably lower than national and international objectives (30%). Zack Metcalfe adroitly described the 13% goal as “a meaningless target with no basis in legislation, rendered irrelevant by the superior targets written into the Parks and Protected Areas Plan.”

Nova Scotia’s stagnant plan disregards the warnings that 13% conservation is unequal to addressing the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.

We should all be very concerned about the loss of biodiversity, ecosystem services, and opportunities for carbon sequestration.

Let’s ensure that we – as a province – do better, not just for us, but also for the next generation.

Our efforts to date have been disproportionate to the environmental crises we’re facing… Even a seven-year-old can see that.



Sources:

Prince William Says Prince George, 7, Was Devastated Learning About the State of our Planet

JIM VIBERT: Mother Nature’s on the run in Nova Scotia

ZACK METCALFE: The 13 Per Cent

Ecology Action Centre: Liberal Government commitment to 13% land protection goal within mandate to go unfulfilled

Nova Scotia: Our Parks and Protected Areas Plan

David Patriquin: Plourde urges Premier to reset the agenda on nature for Nova Scotia






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