Responding to Coastal Development Issues

• Habitat Loss and Alteration
• Coastal Access
• Resource Extraction and Heavy Industry
• Water Quality
• Flooding and Erosion

Nova Scotians care deeply about their coasts. The growing number of local coastal concerns, from beach closures to construction on salt marshes, is a symptom of the increasing development pressures along the coasts. The Reconnecting the coast initiative identifies and raises awareness about impacts of poorly regulated coastal development. Our work is fueled the many inquiries we receive from around the province about coastal development issues. Working with partners like the Coastal Coalition of Nova Scotia, we share information and resources, and help coordinate activities and campaigns.

Responding to local coastal issues is a good means for understanding broader coastal policy challenges and opportunities. Working collaboratively to resolve local coastal issues provides an opportunity to foster better communications between communities, scientists, and government.

Partnerships and collaboration are essential for the development of long term coastal planning. In the short term, urgent action is necessary to halt the tide of inappropriate coastal development. CIC tries to provide support and information to concerned citizens and local groups. Nova Scotia’s piecemeal coastal policies and regulations make it hard for citizen’s figure out how to take action. Our publication, Navigating the Maze, can help people find ways to address coastal issues in their community.

Some specific coastal development issues we are addressing include:

Habitat Loss and Alteration

Human activities have already altered and destroyed a large extent of Nova Scotia’s coastal landscapes. Over 80% of Bay of Fundy salt marshes have already been lost. We receive many calls from citizens concerned about protecting the habitat, productivity and biodiversity of Nova Scotia’s coastal areas.

In the past, the focus of our coastal habitat protection effort was restoration of Bay of Fundy salt marshes through our Salt Marsh and Tidal River Restoration Project. We now work on minimizing the impacts of coastal development on beaches, coastal wetlands, and other coastal habitats through policy and advocacy work, and by directly supporting local efforts. These are special places that should always be protected from development. We support the effort of groups such as the Nova Scotia Nature Trust and the Kingsburg Coastal Conservancy to acquire ecologically significant coastal lands and encourage landowners to establish conservation easements on their properties in order to protect ecological integrity and diversity of Nova Scotia’s coasts.

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Coastal Access

Changes in land ownership and increased coastal development are reducing the opportunity for Nova Scotians and visitors to gain access to the coast for traditional livelihood activities such as fishing, clam harvesting, boat launching, or marine harvest. Recreational activities such as swimming, beach walks, and pleasure boating are also affected.

Nova Scotians want to maintain their traditional connection to the coast, and while the public has the right to access the area between the low water and high water mark, it is sometimes difficult to reach the shoreline when traditional access points are blocked by new developments or private ownership. Over 95% of Nova Scotia’s coastline is privately owned.

Coastal access was identified as a key concern in the 2002 Voluntary Planning Task Force Report on Non-Resident Land Ownership in Nova Scotia. A fact sheet on the right to roam is available from the CCNS website and a summary about coastal access issues in the USA (from the report Access to the Waterfront: Issues and Solutions Across the Nation by the Maine Sea Grant College Program at the University of Maine) is also available here [pdf document].

We support local groups working on coastal access issues in Nova Scotia including the Surf Riders Association of Nova Scotia and the Friends of Sperry’s Beach.

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Resource Extraction and Heavy Industry

Coastal dependant industries play a large role in the economies of coastal communities.  Currently, Nova Scotia’s coasts are threatened by a host of proposed new heavy industries and activities. Proposals for oil and gas, quarries, and pulp and paper mills are increasing along Nova Scotia’s coasts.

As our own time and resource permit, we support local efforts to address large scale resource extraction proposals. Most recently, we have been involved with the White Points Quarry Environmental Assessment Public Hearings (The Stop the Quarry) and the proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) and petrochemical facility by Keltic Petrochemicals Inc., in Goldboro, Guysborough County.

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Water Quality

Coastal development can negatively impact water quality putting at risk a community’s drinking water supply, shellfish harvesting areas, and recreation uses. Poor water quality also disrupts the marine and coastal ecosystems and puts wildlife and other species at risk. This can have serious economic and ecological consequences for coastal living in Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotia’s coastal waters are contaminated by a variety of onshore and offshore sources of pollution. Land-based pollution sources include sewage waste dumping, leaking septic systems, agricultural and urban runoff, industrial emissions including sulphur dioxide and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), spilling or seepage of metals, pesticides and petroleum. Water based pollution sources include oil spills, bilge dumping and effects of aquaculture.

As with other coastal issues, we work with local communities to address specific water quality concerns. Some good resources about the impact of activities by coastal residents on water quality can be found on our links page.

We also belong to the NSEN watershed caucus and will be involved in the NS Department of Environment and Labour’s development of a new Water Strategy.

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Flooding and Erosion

Coasts are an interface between the land and the sea. Consequently, they are frequently wet. River mouths, estuaries, wetlands, and ponds are where upland waters accumulate before draining to the sea. Coastal lands are also impacted by waves and subterranean salt water intrusion. During intense storms or heavy precipitation events, coastal areas are often flooded by fresh or coastal waters.

In many heavily developed coastal areas, artificial “shoreline protection” structures such as seawalls, jetties, and dykes are constructed to stop erosion and reduce storm damage. These may resolve local erosion problems in the short term, but ultimately worsen erosion problems further along the coast. In most cases, coastal setbacks with vegetated buffer zones are the best way to protect coastal properties from erosion. Property owners can find resources about techniques to minimize coastal erosion on our links page.

Coastal development can lead to the loss or alteration of wetlands and other important flood control systems. It also changes infiltration rates and drainage patterns throughout the watershed. This increases the risk of flooding in coastal areas. Again, setbacks, vegetated buffer strips, and not building on wetlands, or floodplains is the best flood protection available.

The EAC is a member of the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Sustainability Coalition Coastal Erosion Working Group which works to address erosion problems in the Southern Gulf region.