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The Nova Scotia government has spent more than $20 million from an agreement it signed with the federal government to help protect land, and the province\u2019s environment minister expects that total to increase as final numbers are crunched.<\/p>\n
The Canada-Nova Scotia Nature Agreement was signed in 2023 and provided the province with up to $25 million to help protect biodiversity, species at risk and habitat. An additional $3.5 million went directly to the Mi\u2019kmaq.<\/p>\n
While the agreement called for the money to be spent by the end of March, information about the final tally has taken time to be released as the federal government assesses the numbers.<\/p>\n
Figures provided recently by the provincial Environment Department show that to date, $20.3 million has been spent.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very pleased with what we\u2019ve utilized,\u201d Environment Minister Tim Halman said in an interview Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs there more work to do? Absolutely. But we remain committed to the goals we established in 2021.\u201d<\/p>\n
Awaiting more info from land trusts<\/p>\n
According to Halman\u2019s department, to date about $6.6 million from the agreement was used by land trust organizations to purchase land, while $10.2 million was used by the Environment Department. The combined efforts helped acquire almost 8,000 hectares of land.<\/p>\n
That includes four recent additions to land that is already protected:<\/p>\n
Lambs Lake Nature Reserve, Annapolis County (one additional hectare).Carleton River Wilderness Area, Yarmouth County (50 additional hectares).Cloud Lake Wilderness Area, Annapolis and Kings counties (76 additional hectares).Johnson Lake Nature Reserve, Cape Breton Regional Municipality (33 additional hectares).<\/p>\n
The province\u2019s Natural Resources Department spent $3.5 million for species at risk, migratory bird conservation and ecological inventories to support provincial park management planning, as part of the agreement.<\/p>\n
Although that means there could still be about $5 million left over, a spokesperson for Halman\u2019s department said the province is awaiting some information from land trusts, and that information then needs to be verified by the federal government before they have a final number.<\/p>\n
The land bought through the agreement with Ottawa, along with other sites recently announced for protection and consultation for protection, moves the province to 14.6 per cent of its land and water mass being protected.<\/p>\n
The province has a legislated target of protecting 15 per cent by the end of this year and 20 per cent by 2030, and Halman said his government remains committed to meeting both marks.<\/p>\n
Biodiversity offset for gold mine<\/p>\n