Nova Scotia is proposing to expand its network of protected lands and waters, with plans to designate more than 5,100 hectares as new wilderness areas. The proposal includes parts of the Margaree River watershed and old-growth forest in Cape Breton, a coastal area along the province’s Eastern Shore, and a mix of forest, coastline and lake shoreline in the Halifax region. The province opened a public consultation on Friday that will run until Oct. 20, giving Nova Scotians the opportunity to weigh in on the proposed protections, which include: If approved, the new designations would help move Nova Scotia closer to its goal of protecting 15 per cent of its land and water by the end of 2026, building on the roughly 800,000 hectares, or 14.56 per cent of the province, that are already under protection. “Nova Scotia is home to an incredible abundance of protected natural areas with an area about one and a half times the size of Prince Edward Island now protected, and we continue to protect more of our land and water,” said Nolan Young, acting minister of Environment and Climate Change, in a news release from the province. “These new proposed sites build on that momentum and reflect our commitment to protecting the landscapes that make Nova Scotia so special.” For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
