Ecology Action Centre Says We Must Act Now to Save Scotia’s Troubled Shorelines

10 March 2009

The latest report from the Coastal Issues Committee (CIC) urges decision-makers to act now to protect Nova Scotia’s troubled beaches.

The report, entitled “On the Front Lines: Strategies for Healthy Beaches in Nova Scotia,” (download it here! pdf, 3,6 MB) outlines seven bold beach management goals for the province, along with clear recommendations to help reach them.  The EAC report calls for a bold new approach to beach management that considers the whole ecosystem, and recommends immediate actions such as modernizing the Beaches Act, hiring more beach specialists at the Department of Natural Resources, and creating a beach research and advisory network.

“Communities across the province are sounding the alarm about a variety of beach threats including accelerated erosion, unchecked coastal development, habitat degradation, climate change and the loss of public access,” says Ecology Action Centre Coastal Researcher Sadie Beaton. “Despite these concerns, however, Nova Scotia is operating without a blueprint for beach management.” 

The EAC report was launched on March 5th, 2009 at a public event called “Our Living Beaches,” where renowned speaker and author Silver Donald Cameron shared highlights from his award-winning book The Living Beach, along with current thoughts and observations.

This event was part of Coastal Nova, a series of activities highlighting Nova Scotia's coasts, organized by the Coastal Coalition of Nova Scotia, Dalhousie University, Ecology Action Centre and Saint Mary's University.