Premier Pat Binns and Minister of Environment Chester Gillan released Prince Edward Island's first State of the Environment report today.
The report is designed to raise public awareness of the state of the environment and its relationship with human activities, and to establish indicators to measure progress toward goals and objectives aimed at protecting the province's fragile environment.
"The state of the environment impacts on all aspects of life in Prince Edward Island," said Premier Binns. "It affects human health; it is an integral part of our quality of life; and it is critical to the success of some of our major industries including fisheries, aquaculture, tourism and agriculture. We must continue to work to protect our environment and, to do that effectively, we must have the ability to measure our progress."
The State of the Environment report includes 33 indicators of environmental quality in Prince Edward Island. They are grouped into 11 categories: drinking water, surface water, climate change, energy use, air quality, biodiversity, pesticides, waste management, environmental stewardship, soil quality and land use.
"Taken together, the indicators provide a snapshot of the state of the environment," said Minister Gillan. "They show us trends in environmental quality – areas where we are doing well and areas where we need to focus more attention and effort to reach our objectives."
Looking at some of the highlights of the report:
• Water quality is generally very good, although nitrates are a growing concern. Average nitrate levels in private wells have increased steadily since 1984/85, and nitrate concentrations in some streams have more than doubled in the last 20-30 years.
• Air quality is very good, with sulphur dioxide and particulate matter concentrations significantly below national standards.
• Soil erosion remains a serious environmental concern. The amount of row crops under engineered soil conservation management has increased steadily from about 7,500 hectares in 1995 to 16,500 hectares in 2001. However, that still falls short of the objective which is to have 100 per cent of row crops managed to acceptable soil loss levels.
• Historical information suggests that biodiversity has been impacted by the introduction of non-native species and loss of natural habitat. However, land area protected under the Natural Areas Protection Act has been steadily rising – from 500 hectares in 1991 to more than 6,000 hectares in 2001; and another 10,000 hectares are protected in other forms including agricultural buffer zones and Wildlife Management Areas.
Minister Gillan said the State of the Environment report is intended to be the first of regular reports on environmental quality in Prince Edward Island.
"In the past, reporting publicly on environmental quality has tended to happen in reaction to a pollution incident or community issue. We want state of the environment reporting to become a routine part of efforts to protect our environment," the Minister said.
Both Premier Binns and Minister Gillan are hopeful that the first State of the Environment report will generate discussion about environmental issues and inspire further action.
Prince Edward Island has made great strides in protecting and enhancing the environment in recent years. More than $12 million has been invested in soil and water conservation projects; PEI was the first jurisdiction to implement buffer zone legislation and mandatory three-year crop rotation, and is a leader in environmental farm planning; the Province has implemented a Drinking Water Strategy to protect water resources; the Waste Watch province-wide waste management system is diverting over 65 per cent of waste from burial; PEI is a leader in wind energy research with the wind test site and wind farm at North Cape; and most recently, the Province began implementing a Sustainable Resource Policy to chart the future direction of primary industries.
"Working with Islanders – from homeowners, farmers and industry, to watershed groups and communities – we have come a long way," said Premier Binns. "I encourage all Islanders to look for themselves in this State of the Environment report, and consider areas where you can help advance progress. Working together, we can preserve a clean, healthy environment for future generations of Islanders to enjoy."
Copies of the State of the Environment report are available at Access PEI centres or by calling the Department of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Environment at (902) 368-5000 or e-mailing environment@gov.pe.ca. The report is also online at www.gov.pe.ca/go/soe.