Glavine and Younger: Sable Island Must Be Protected From Overuse
(Halifax NS) Liberal Environment Critic Andrew Younger (Dartmouth East) and Natural Resources Critic Leo Glavine (Kings West) are calling upon the provincial government to ensure the ecological integrity of Sable Island is protected with any change to the island's status. Recently the provincial and federal governments announced they are in discussions to designate Sable Island as a National Park. However neither government confirmed funding for the initiative, nor were they able to provide guarantees that human impacts on the Island, resulting from the designation, would be limited.
"We are concerned that a national park would lead to a dramatic increase in the number of people on Sable Island, which could damage the Island's integrity," says Glavine. "As well we have national parks in Nova Scotia such as Kejimkujik, which are in need of funding for upgrades, yet the province is working towards a new park in a sensitive habitat without first studying the impact of such a major change."
According to the federal government, National Parks are designed to allow for human access and appreciation. Protected areas place a higher priority on ecosystem protection.
Since 1961, the Sable Island horses have had legal protection under the Sable Island Regulations of the Canada Shipping Act. This protection is in part due to concern from scientific and environmental organizations about human impacts to the flora and fauna on the island. Even without regular public access, which could occur with national park designation,
scientific studies in the 1980's indicated the 40 km Island is already under threat from more than 8,000 items of garbage per month washing up on the beach.
"Sable Island is internationally recognized as a unique environment and it must be a priority to protect the integrity of this fragile environment," said Younger. "Construction of infrastructure such as wharves, facilities, and boardwalks that can come with a national park could result in unintended consequences, and it is clear the provincial ministers have not contemplated this."
Glavine and Younger say that the government should also be looking at other options such as the National Marine Conservation Area designation, which provides for areas of high protection without necessarily restricting offshore oil and gas production opportunities.
“The federal government has presented only two options - to designate the federally owned Island a national park, with a focus on habitat conservation, or make it a national wildlife area to protect the animal population.” said Glavine. “Whatever option is chosen, proper monitoring and limitations must be put in place to ensure the integrity of this fragile eco-system.”
"We need to take the time to make sure there are no unintended consequences to this decision," said Younger. "We must get this right to preserve the Island for our children."
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