Government of Canada designates Nova Scotia's Country Island, Isle Haute, and St. Paul Island as Canada's newest National Wildlife Areas

OTTAWA, ON, Jan. 15, 2025 /CNW/ - Canada's National Wildlife Areas play a vital role in conserving habitat that contributes to the health of migratory bird populations and the recovery of species at risk. That is why the Government of Canada continues to expand its network of protected areas in Nova Scotia and across the country.

Today, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, announced that the Government of Canada has designated Country Island, Isle Haute, and St. Paul Island as Canada's newest National Wildlife Areas.

The newly designated National Wildlife Areas will provide protection for migratory birds and species at risk on rare and otherwise vulnerable Atlantic offshore island habitat. The protection of these ecologically significant islands represents an important contribution to biodiversity conservation in Nova Scotia.

In addition to existing protections on the islands offered by the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 and the Species at Risk Act, the National Wildlife Areas designation enables broader protection for all species and habitats on the island as authorized under the Canada Wildlife Act. A Canada Wildlife Act permit will be required to access the islands, depending on the location and time of year, which provides further protection to migratory birds and nesting sites.

The Government of Canada remains committed to working toward halting and reversing biodiversity loss in Canada by 2030 and to achieving a full recovery for nature by 2050.

Quotes

"Expanding conserved and protected areas is one of the most important actions we can take locally, regionally, and nationally to maintain our intact natural areas and protect migratory birds, including species at risk. Many of the spaces that have been protected hold a deep meaning for Canadians and historical significance for Indigenous peoples; they connect landscapes, support biodiversity, and store carbon. These three islands, off the coast of Nova Scotia, protect more of Canada's natural legacy for generations to come."

– The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

"Nova Scotia's coastal islands are important hot spots for biodiversity, including species at risk, such as the roseate tern. That's why we worked closely with our federal partners to support Country Island as a National Wildlife Area, and we're pleased to see Isle Haute and St. Paul Island be designated as well. In addition to protecting wildlife, they are also among the many stunning natural places that make our province so beautiful. Their designation as National Wildlife Areas contributes to our goal of protecting 20% of Nova Scotia's land and water by 2030."

– The Honourable Tory Rushton, Minister of Natural Resources for Nova Scotia

Quick facts

• National Wildlife Areas are protected areas established under the Canada Wildlife Act to protect nationally significant habitats for the purpose of wildlife conservation, research, and interpretation.
• Isle Haute National Wildlife Area (89 hectares) is the largest island in the upper Bay of Fundy, providing undisturbed habitat for over 60 species of birds, like the great black-backed gull and the common eider, which use the site to breed, stage, or winter. The island holds particular significance to Indigenous peoples, including the Mi'kmaq, as it has been used for hunting and travel routes for more than 600 years.
• St. Paul Island National Wildlife Area (478 hectares), also known as "Kiwkto'qi-Mnikuk" in Mi'kmaq, is an Important Bird Area, as it supports 1% of Canada's Bicknell's thrush population. The island hosts a number of unique plant species, and its stunted coniferous forest provides nesting habitat for the threatened Bicknell's thrush, the Leach's storm-petrel, and other bird species. It was a traditional stopping place for the Mi'kmaq on voyages between Cape Breton and the island of Newfoundland.
• Country Island National Wildlife Area (21 hectares), on the traditional lands of the Mi'kmaq, provides habitat for migratory birds, including species at risk. It contains critical habitat for approximately 25% of the Canadian nesting population of roseate tern. The island is also home to Nova Scotia's largest common tern and Arctic tern nesting colony and supports about 2% of the western Atlantic population of Leach's storm-petrel, as well as being a stop-over site for migrating shorebirds and songbirds. It is used as a research area to study bird species that frequent the island.
• The designation of the three National Wildlife Areas under the Wildlife Area Regulations will ensure the habitat remains protected for migratory birds and species at risk. The designation will not impact fisheries in the surrounding areas.
• There are now 60 National Wildlife Areas across Canada protecting over 3.5 million hectares of terrestrial and marine habitat.

Associated links

• Country Island National Wildlife Area
• Isle Haute National Wildlife Area
• St. Paul Island National Wildlife Area
• Current National Wildlife Areas
• Wildlife Area Regulations

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SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada

Contacts: Hermine Landry, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, 873-455-3714, [email protected]; Media Relations, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 819-938-3338 or 1-844-836-7799 (toll-free), [email protected]