Government commitments
Big on promises, short on progress.
In 2021, the Houston government passed the Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act (EGCCRA), which enshrined the Premier’s commitment to permanently protect at least 20% of our lands and water by 2030 into law. This was a significant and meaningful commitment toward our national and international responsibilities.
Even though a clear majority of Nova Scotians support protecting more wilderness, the pace of protecting new areas has slowed to a crawl.
At the rate this government has been designating (legally protecting) land, the province wouldn’t meet its 20% by 2030 commitment, In fact, it wouldn’t reach 20% protection until 2041—11 years late.
Conservation Countdown:
The Nova Scotia Government has less than 5 years to legally protect an additional 5.4% of the province—over 285,000 hectares—in order to meet its legal commitments under the Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act.
Nova Scotia can still be successful in reaching its 20% by 2030 commitment, but the provincial government needs to pick up the pace.
Future generations will never look back and say that we protected too much nature, but to reach our goals, we need to act now.
We’re calling on the Nova Scotia government to:
☐ Immediately place all of these community-proposed protected areas under interim protection until they can be assessed for permanent protection
☐ Officially study each of these community-proposed protected areas for possible inclusion in Nova Scotia’s parks and protected areas system.
☐ Legally protect all of the community-proposed protected areas that meet the provincial and national standards for protected and conserved areas