Nature

Healthy natural systems are critical for our own health, as they provide services such as cleaning the water (e.g., wetlands), providing resources (e.g., fish), providing flood control (e.g., wetlands), or storing carbon (e.g., forests). In our region, development has impacted nature, so much so, that in some areas natural shorelines no longer exist. Yet people come to this area to enjoy our beaches and coasts. We need to conserve and enhance the natural environment and ensure natural systems are healthy and resilient.

The following issues were identified by participants of the Green Strategy development  in 2017 and 2018:

• Many wetlands in the region have been filled in, existing ones are not well protected, buffers to wetlands are insufficient, and permits to alter wetlands are too easily obtained;
• Erosion control (with the placement of large rocks along shorelines) of shorelines affects and destroys coastal habitats, and there is no clear direction of what measures are useful and which aren’t;
• A number of activities cause damage to waterways and shorelines, especially when vehicles are permitted to drive through sensitive areas. These activities also increase sedimentation which in turn can harm fish habitat.
• Clear cutting, and the use of inappropriate trees in silviculture, expanding gravel pits, lack of pollinators and increase in invasive species;
• A lack of wildlife corridors, which are essential for the continued movement and survival of species;

Numerous actions were presented by community members that can help address these concerns. Look on the left-hand side of the screen under “Actions”. If you are looking for things that you can do, look under “What you can do”. To find out more about who is already working on the issues, look under “Digging Deeper”.