Marine Spatial Planning

We envision a robust marine spatial plan in Atlantic Canadian waters that includes marine protected areas.

Why are we working on this?

Ocean zoning or marine spatial plans require setting aside certain areas in the ocean for specific uses, managing the potential conflicts of use, and including conservation of the marine environment. Marine planning is the process of bringing together all ocean stakeholders to discuss and plan how ocean resources will be used.

In the offshore waters of eastern Nova Scotia, the Eastern Scotian Shelf Integrated Management (ESSIM) planning process is a multi-stakeholder process, engaging all ocean users and sectors. To date, the ESSIM process has produced an integrated management plan. Despite more than a decade of work by DFO and ocean users and conservation organizations, Canada’s Fisheries Minister has not signed off on the plan. As a result, the ESSIM process is in jeopardy, despite it being one of the first integrated management processes in Canada.

Recent Successes and Initiatives

Integrated Management

EAC hosted an Ocean Zoning workshop in 2004, bringing together international experts on zoning, to inform the ESSIM process, and have continued to build on this work. EAC has a seat on the ESSIM stakeholder council and takes active part in the process. Furthermore, EAC is pushing for meaningful marine planning in inshore areas as well and collaborating with EAC’s Coastal Issue Committee on achieving a coastal planning framework, which does not currently exist in Nova Scotia.

As a member of the Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) of the Eastern Scotian Shelf Integrated Management (ESSIM) initiative, EAC is working closely with World Wildlife Fund, the ESSIM planning office and other SAC members to develop and implement a spatial conservation action plan. In 2008, together with WWF and CPAWS-NS, we released a study on the current ocean protection coverage in Nova Scotia, only 0.56%, to highlight the urgent need for action.

Marine Protected Areas / Parks

We ensured a strong conservation voice was present in province-wide consultations on establishing a new off-shore Marine Protected Area, recommending communication and implementation strategy, keeping pressure on the province and federal ministries to stick to established commitments and helping 160 individuals get their feedback heard. We are STILL waiting for the Minister to accept the recommendation for an Area of Interest to be declared on St. Ann’s Bank off Cape Breton.

We have worked to ensure a human presence on Sable Island, off the coast of Nova Scotia, as well as continued research funding and protection for the island. We are pleased at the 2010 announcement that the island will be considered as one of Canada’s newest National Parks.

For more than a decade we have worked with myriad partners on prohibiting oil and gas exploration from Georges Bank, one of the few remaining lucrative fishing grounds in Atlantic Canada. Finally, in 2010 the provincial government announced a moratorium until 2023. We continue to work other organizations in Atlantic Canada on better regulation for oil and gas development, both on land and in the sea, and are currently seeking a moratorium on oil and gas in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.