The federal government has committed more than $760,000 for environmental conservation and protection efforts across Nova Scotia.
South Shore-St. Margaret’s MP Gerald Keddy made the announcement in Bridgewater this week (mid-October) saying the funding will generate awareness of at-risk and protected species across the province. “This funding will also promote land conservation and foster industry and community engagement in activities that protect land and marine species and their habitats,” he said in a news release.
World Wildlife Fund Canada will get the biggest proportion – $120,000. It will work with fishermen on the Bay of Fundy and off southwestern Nova Scotia to reduce the unintentional catch of whales, turtles and sharks in Atlantic Canadian waters.
Other major projects include $90,000 for the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute in Queens County to create an Atlantic coastal plain flora stewardship plan, $85,000 for the Nova Scotia Nature Trust to buy habitat for species at risk in southwestern Nova Scotia and $73,000 so that Acadia University can help in the recovery of Blanding’s turtles and the eastern ribbon snake.
In Cape Breton, the Unama’ki Institue of Natural Resources will receive $50,415 to protect eel habitat and the Nature Conservancy of Canada will spend $20,800 to enlist community help to protect the endangered Eastern Mountain avens on Brier Island and Digby Neck.
Several other smaller projects are also receiving funding that will be used for education, land-care agreements with private landowners and improved water quality and aquatic habitat for species at risk.
TREPA applauds the receipt of these funds to further the mission of environmental conservation and awareness in our region.