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Wildlife Sanctuaries on the Chopping Block

January 24, 2005

The Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources has released a plan to de-list 13 Game Sanctuaries and Wildlife Management areas and is now looking for public feedback on their plan. The department claims that these areas have "no unique wildlife conservation values" and no longer serve a useful purpose.

The department proposes that areas in Blandford, Brule Point in Colchester County, Chignecto in Cumberland County, Liscomb, Louisbourg national park game sanctuary, Sunnybrae in Pictou County, Waverley, Abercrombie near the Pictou River, Dewey Creek near Kentville, Hibernia in Queens County, Manganese Mines near Truro, Minas Basin and Shubenacadie have their designations removed.

Conservation groups point out that the big problem with the sanctuaries is that they protect wildlife but not their habitat. They are simply areas where hunting and trapping are banned but are open to the full range of development and resource extraction activities including clearcut logging, road building and mining. Although over-hunting was once a problem nowadays the major threat to wildlife is not hunting but rather loss of habitat.

Karen Potter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) said her group wants the Liscomb and Chignecto Game Sanctuaries changed to a protected wilderness area, where commercial forestry and mining are prohibited. The areas are inhabited by mainland moose, an endangered species as well as other native wildlife species. CPAWS would also like to see the Blandford Game Sanctuary up-graded into a nature reserve.

To learn more about the government's Game Sanctuary review and to provide feedback visit the government website at: http://www.gov.ns.ca/natr/wildlife/sanctuaries/.