Ecology Action Centre comments on Nova Scotia Coastal Strategy
November 13th, 2011
Dear friends,
Please take a few minutes to help move coastal management in Nova Scotia forward.
The province of Nova Scotia released a draft coastal strategy on October 13th, 2011.The draft Strategy is available at: www.gov.ns.ca/coast The NS government needs to hear that Nova Scotians value their coast and want to see stronger measures in place (including development standards and land use planning regulations) to protect coastal ecosystems and habitat, maintain natural shoreline processes, and protect public and private infrastructure from climate change impacts. Your comments can influence coastal management in Nova Scotia, please take the time to participate.
The deadline for public comments on the Draft Strategy is November 30th, 2011. There is an online survey available at www.gov.ns.ca/coast You can preview the questions at
You can also send your comments via email to ourcoast@gov.ns.ca All submissions will be publicly available on the website.
The Survey
The online survey is set up to ask three questions for each of the 7 priority coastal issues identified in the strategy. For each priority, issue the questions are:
- Do the goals and objectives establish the right overall direction for this issue?
- What actions do you think will be the most effective for achieving the goals and objectives? What actions do you think are the most important?
- How can your organization/community help support the goals and objectives? What can the provincial government do to support you?
The EAC thinks the disjointed and piecemeal nature of the questionnaire reflects a major flaw in the approach to the Coastal strategy. We are structuring our own response around the following 5 points.
(1) Value of the Coast. The opening statement of the Coastal Strategy focuses almost exclusively on the coast as a key driver for economic development. While this is indeed important, it completely misses the ecological importance of coastal ecosystems, habitat and biodiversity, and the enormous benefits (clean water, flood protection, erosion control) that Nova Scotians receive from our coasts.
Solution: The Opening Statement should include a strong message about the ecological significance of our coast and the ecological services it provides
(2) Governance. The Ecology Action Centre is pleased that governance has been added as priority coastal issue. We do think, however, that fixing coastal governance so that we can protect and manage our coast is the main issue and should be defined as a cohesive and overarching goal.
Solution: Identify establishing and implementing a coastal governance structure that allows Nova Scotia to protect and manage its coast as the overarching goal of the Coastal Strategy.
(3) Purpose of Coastal Strategy The current goals of the Coastal Strategy are rather weakly defined. The Goal should be clear on what an improved coastal governance system is supposed to achieve and deliver. The goal statement needs to be broader and include other coastal related activities, such as aquaculture and tidal power by referring the appropriate strategies and legislation.
Solution. The EAC suggests the following goal statement “The government, private and non-governmental sectors will work together to manage and protect the coast in such a manner as to maintain and restore essential coastal functions and processes, coastal biodiversity, and coastal ecosystems, while ensuring that coastal development and all coastal activities are planned, sited, and implemented in such a way as to minimize public risk and damage to the coast”
(4) Integration of Priority Issues. Currently, the 6 priority issues are presented as though they are six separate issues with no connection or integration between them – although some actions such as develop coastal development standards and coastal mapping are mentioned in each of the objectives. The EAC feels it is essential that these six issues (plus governance) add up to more than the sum of its parts for an effective approach to coastal management Governance (issue number 7) needs to provide an overriding coherence to what is meant by an improved coastal management system. The other 6 issues need to be in reference to the overarching goal of the strategy, and be cross referenced, so that for example coastal access goals and actions do not take place without considering the need to protect sensitive coastal ecosystems and habitat.
Solution. Establish effective and cohesive coastal governance to protect and manage the coast as a main goal, and set up the other 6 priority issues under the first objective. Ensure the objectives and actions under each priority issue help achieve the overall goal and are well integrated with each other.
(5) Need for time frame and firm commitments. The Coastal Strategy does not include any time frame or clear commitments of resources or personnel. The EAC is very supportive of suggested actions such as developing coastal development standards, and a multistakeholder advisory body to advice government on implementation of coastal strategy. However, these action items do require timelines and commitments.
Solution. Include a timeline and firm commitments for achieving action items in Coastal Strategy.
(6) Sensitive Coastal ecosystems and Habitat. During the public consultation phase, as reported in the “What we Heard” report, the public clearly indicated that the protection of coastal ecosystems and habitat was a high priority within the Coastal Strategy. The Draft Strategy does not reflect the “What we Heard” report. The goals, objectives, and action items in the Coastal Ecosystem and Habitat section will not achieve better protection for Nova Scotia’s coastal ecosystems, habitat and coastal biodiversity.
Solution. The importance of protecting and restoring coastal ecosystems and habitat needs to be strengthened throughout the document, for example in the opening statement, as well as in the sections on coastal development, working waterfronts, and coastal access. There need to be concrete objectives related to conserving biodiversity and preventing habitat loss.
(7) Role for Communities While the EAC welcomes a greater role for communities and non-governmental sectors in coastal management in NS, the strategy as currently outlined does not provide for a meaningful role in coastal governance. Coastal governance includes both the government and non-governmental institutions and stakeholders. There needs to be a variety of formal and non-formal ways for communities, citizens, and local organizations to be involved in coastal decision making. These can range from hand on stewardship activities to local monitoring activities to sitting on local development advisory boards.
Solution. The Strategy should explicitly name and support a variety of means for communities and non-governmental organizations to be involved in coastal governance, and provide resources to enable effective participation and coordination.
(8) Aquaculture. The Draft Strategy still does not include aquaculture (or any other issue beyond the 6 priority issues) as coastal activities that needs to be implemented in a consistent and coordinated manner with reference to the overall goals of the Strategy.
Solution. Include aquaculture and other existing and emerging coastal uses and activities in the Strategy.
(9) Coastal Act. The Draft Strategy does not make mention of any legislative commitment to ensure any of the provisions in the government is legally bound to allocate resources to the implementation of its proposed Actions. The EAC feels we will not stop the ongoing loss and destruction of coastal ecosystems and habitat (not to mention ongoing unwise development in coastal lands and waters) without a legislated approach with clear planning, regulations, and strong enforcement.
Solution. Commit to developing a Nova Scotia Coastal Act by 2012.
Thank you so much for taking the time to make comments on the Coastal Strategy. As your next Act for the Coast, we encourage you to go to http://www.ecologyaction.ca/post-coast and send a postcard directly to the Premier expressing your support for a Coastal Act.
