The Honourable Kevin J. MacAdam, Minister of Fisheries and Environment today announced that portions of five Crown properties, including sections of the Morell River riparian zone, Pisquid Pond, Wood Islands Bog, and the sand dune systems at Basin Head and South Lake have been designated under the Natural Areas Protection Act. More than 250 acres of representative ecosystems in Kings County received protected status with this designation.
In making the announcement Mr. MacAdam reaffirmed the Province's commitment to the protection and management of natural areas. "With this designation we not only protect significant environmental areas in Prince Edward Island, but also contribute to our objective of having 7% of the Province protected by Year 2000," said Mr. MacAdam. The overall goal of 7% will include both Crown and private lands.
A variety of methods are available to provide protection for significant environmental areas, including designation under the Natural Areas Protection Act, the Forest Management Act, and creation of Wildlife Management Areas or Provincial Parks. Potential avenues for land protection for private landowners include covenants on land deeds and participation in conservation programs.
"We have already achieved more than one third of our protection goal and recent activities have set the stage to allow us to soon reach the 7% figure, " said Mr. MacAdam. He cited a recent review of Crown land, a reassessment of bogs, a new report on protected woodlands, a reevaluation of sites approved for Natural Area designation, and proposed new wildlife legislation as reinforcing the ability of the Province to manage and protect more areas of the Island.