[BNS_members] Upcoming Webinar: Kings County Protected Area Progress Report

[Caroline Beddoe]

Good evening,

We also have an upcoming webinar on Wednesday February 22nd, at 7:00 pm. 
Online on Zoom [1].

Alain Belliveau, citizen and botanist, will deliver a talk & hold space 
for discussion & organizing around protected areas with his webinar, 
"Progress Report Post 2022: Kings County Protected Areas."

What is this about?
Is Kings County worth protecting?
Are there species at risk on Kings County public lands?
How is the goal to protect 20% of lands and waters by 2030 going, and 
what does this mean in Kings County?
What work needs to be done? How can we help?

We strongly believe that the answer to that first question is yes, but 
let's chat about what it means and discuss the other questions, issues & 
more at this progress report on protected areas with Kings County 
citizen, botanist & biologist Alain Belliveau. Alain is giving an update 
on his research on the ecology of Kings County, his proposal for 
protected areas, and new information and progress towards the goal to 
protect 20% of lands and waters in Kings County (as part of a legislated 
goal for all of Nova Scotia). Alain gave a widely attended webinar last 
year on his proposal to protect 20% of Kings Co. in line with provincial 
targets, and he will provide an update to this vision with new 
information from collaborative summer fieldwork studying species at risk 
across King County. Alain will also discuss ways for BNS members to 
support this work and get involved, and hold space for questions, 
discussion and ideas.

Details on joining:
Wednesday February 22nd at 7:00 pm. Online on Zoom.
Please register for the Zoom in advance here: 
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUoceCorD8vEtbKLNs5AtUbDCa864yRkk7Y

Background information:

In 2021, the Government of Nova Scotia has made a commitment (in Bill 
57) to "conserve at least 20% of the total land and water mass of the 
Province by 2030 as protected areas and other effective area-based 
conservation measures, including Indigenous Protected and Conserved 
Areas."

In this webinar, Alain discussed his proposal for how we can achieve 
that 20% goal for Kings County. Currently, Kings Co has only about 4.5% 
of its area protected. Alain presented his rigorous mapping work of the 
area and some suggestions for protection. This was shared to government 
representatives. A letter written by the BNS including Alain is attached 
here.

The BNS is committed to advocating for biodiversity and the protection 
of nature, and we hope to provide a space for thoughtful discussion and 
action on how we can preserve and protect the ecosystems and natural 
areas we love and depend upon.

Some further reading & actions:

BNS Recommendations for Reaching 20% Protected Areas in collaboration 
with Alain Belliveau, 2021 (letter, attached)

Nature Nova Scotia's State of Nature Report, comprehensive report 
available for download on Nature Nova Scotia website homepage (scroll 
down): https://naturens.ca/

Make Room for Nature petition/letter campaign hosted by Nature Nova 
Scotia, to ask government to designate all pending protected areas in 
the current Parks and Protected Areas Plan: 
https://naturens.ca/actions/make-room-for-nature/
-- 
Caroline Beddoe
  She/her
  613-619-1098
  Program Coordinator
  Blomidon Naturalists Society
  Wolfville, Nova Scotia

_ Blomidon Naturalists Society activities take place in Mi'kma'ki, the 
traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq People. We 
acknowledge that we have a responsibility to honour and learn about 
their histories and current cultures and to actively work in support of 
reconciliation. We are committed to fostering respectful and sustainable 
relationships with the Indigenous Peoples of this land, with all other 
organisms, with the land and with the water._

Links:
------
[1] 
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUoceCorD8vEtbKLNs5AtUbDCa864yRkk7Y
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