The Way Forward
The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has yet to fulfill its national and international commitments to adequately protect our natural legacy. By the government's own admission, only 19 of the 35 ecoregions are adequately so far. A Newfoundland and Labrador Natural Areas System Plan (NASP) needs to be released so that there can be discussion among the many interested stakeholders. There is still a long way to go to complete Newfoundland and Labrador's Protected Areas Network.
The only way to guarantee long-term protection of Crown Land in Newfoundland and Labrador is to establish more protected areas using existing legislation. The Wilderness and Ecological Reserves Act (WERAC) is the legislation specifically designed for this purpose. In fact, Newfoundland and Labrador's Wilderness and Ecological Reserves Act has been widely recognized as one of the strongest pieces of legislation of its kind in the country. The government of Newfoundland and Labrador needs to establish more Wilderness Reserves and Special Places if we are to have a hope of conserving Newfoundland and Labrador's wild heritage for our children, and for our children's children.
In the absence of the government doing its job and selecting new Wilderness Reserves for protection, the Newfoundland and Labrador Public Lands Coalition has identified "hotspots" throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, which if protected, would go a long way to completing the Protected Areas Network in Newfoundland and Labrador.
What is needed now is the release of the Natural Areas Systems Plan (NASP) from government that identifies specific target areas for protection, sets deadlines for designations, and offers an open public consultation process. Moratoriums on all resource extraction and development must be also be enacted on all proposed areas, as well as on other significant wilderness areas on Crown Land which could become candidate protected areas. These areas require a 'time out' (interim protection) while their fate is determined. One of the greatest fears is that the remaining intact publicly owned wilderness areas will be destroyed before they can be set aside for conservation. We need to complete the Protected Areas Network, before we destroy the very foundation upon which it needs to be built.
Public support for protecting more Crown Land in Newfoundland and Labrador is significant and growing. To add your voice to those beginning to speak up on this issue click here to go to the Take Action section.
