Nova Scotia Nature Trust launches campaign to raise funds for rare ecosystem along Bras d’Or Lakes

Bras d'Or Lakes in Cape Breton. (Source: Nova Scotia Nature Trust)

The Nova Scotia Nature Trust launched a campaign Monday asking for support to protect more than 1,000 acres of a globally rare ecosystem along the Bras d’Or Lakes in Cape Breton.

The “In Our Nature” campaign is the latest conservation project by the Nature Trust. It will run until Nov. 28 and looks to raise $400,000.

The Plaister Cliffs property is home to coastal habitats, wetlands, ponds and forests along the Bras d’Or Lakes.

“It features large tracts of rare old growth forest, important habitat for endangered plants, birds and other wildlife, and over three kilometers of shoreline,” a release from the Nature Trust reads. “Most exciting, it supports a unique ecosystem known as gypsum karst, which is globally rare, highly threatened and one of the least protected ecosystems in Canada.”

The Nature Trust says Nova Scotia likely has the largest and best developed areas of gypsum karst in Canada but only 5 per cent of the gypsum karst lands are protected in the province.

“If Nova Scotians come together to help save Plaister Cliffs, we can safeguard one of Nova Scotia’s rarest ecosystems, protect important biodiversity, support endangered species recovery, and ensure that more than a thousand acres of our province’s iconic and beloved coastline is protected, forever,” says the Nature Trust’s executive director, Bonnie Sutherland.

The Nature Trust says every dollar donated during the month-long campaign will be matched with four additional dollars due to a limited-time funding.

“It’s in our nature as Nova Scotians to care deeply about the land, and it’s in our nature to step up for what we love. Nature needs us now more than ever,” says Sutherland. “Supporting this campaign gives Nova Scotians an amazing way to take immediate, tangible and lasting action to protect the wild spaces they love across Nova Scotia, forever.”

Donations can be made on the Nature Trust’s website or by calling [phone].

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