Available Photos

View details and
download

“This new protected area will bring the province’s total protected area up to more than 17,000 acres,” said the minister. “By setting aside protected areas under NAPA, we protect sensitive habitats and strengthen our protection of wildlife and native plants.”

The province has set itself a goal of having 31,500 acres of protected land under the Natural Areas Protection Act.

The areas given NAPA protection this week include 7.4 acres in Lake Verde (adjacent to an existing 660 acre parcel of protected land), 48 acres in Iona and 30 acres in Miltonvale under ownership of the Island Nature Trust; as well as 30 acres at Abrams Village and 70 acres in North Enmore under management of the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

“The Nature Conservancy of Canada is pleased to work closely with the Province to protect important natural sites for the benefit of all Islanders. While the sites on the Island are generally small compared to wilderness areas throughout Canada, they are extremely valuable in preserving wildlife habitat and rare species,” said Diane Griffin, Prince Edward Island Program Manager for the Nature Conservancy of Canada. “These two salt marshes are in almost pristine condition and inclusion under the PEI Natural Areas Protection Act will add another layer of protection to this land.”

Jackie Waddell, executive director of the Island Nature Trust, said the three sites being designated under their care are all important and interesting parcels of land. “The designations of three Island Nature Trust-owned parcels under the PEI Natural Areas Protection Act complete important additions to the network of protected natural areas across PEI,” she said. “Designation of these lands is also important to Island Nature Trust and to present and future generations of Islanders as it protects native species of plants and animals for all of us to enjoy, helps keep water and air clean, and provides excellent places for us to learn more about nature.”

BACKGROUNDER

Natural Areas Protection Act

Prince Edward Island’s Natural Areas Protection Act (NAPA) allows legal protection for ecologically significant sites. These sites may include sand dunes, marshes, rivers, ponds, bogs, forests, offshore islands, cliffs or marine areas. Some properties are publicly-owned or held for the people of Prince Edward Island by non-governmental groups. Others are privately held by landowners who understand the biological importance of their lands and voluntarily agreed to protection.

Currently, approximately three per cent of the province’s land area (41,500 acres) is protected under the Natural Areas Protection Act or protected through other means including the National Parks system and National Wildlife Areas.

Island Nature Trust

The Island Nature Trust is a non-government, not-for-profit organization dedicated to protection and management of Natural Areas on Prince Edward Island (Canada). The Island Nature Trust acquires lands to be held in trust for future generations, manages these lands as an example of appropriate and sustained use, and helps private owners voluntarily protect their lands.

Since 1979, Island Nature Trust’s property inventory (acquired though purchase, lease, bequest and donation) has grown to over 2,800 acres of forest, marsh, sand dune, offshore island, river frontage and pond. They have helped private landowners voluntarily protect over 2,000 acres of their own lands under legal agreement, and have worked with the Government of Prince Edward Island to legally protect more than 12,000 acres of provinciallyowned land.

Nature Conservancy of Canada

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is Canada’s leading national land conservation organization. This private, non-profit group partners with corporate and individual landowners to achieve the direct protection of lands through property securement (donation, purchase, conservation agreement and the relinquishment of other legal interests in land) and long-term stewardship of our portfolio of properties. Since 1962, NCC and its partners have helped to conserve more than 2 million acres (over 800,000 hectares) of ecologically significant land nationwide.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada has helped to protect over 4,000 acres of land in Prince Edward Island since the first project in 1965. With an active PEI Board of Directors, the Nature Conservancy of Canada projects include protecting Boughton Island, St. Peters Lake Run and salt marshes on Egmont Bay.