More Than a Decade of Wetland Conservation:

The Eastern Habitat Joint Venture in Nova Scotia

by Glen J. Parsons, EHJV Program Manager
WINTER 2000

Wetlands are some of the most biologically productive ecosystems on earth. They provide essential habitat conditions for many species of wildlife. They also perform vital ecological and social functions such as: the regulation of greenhouse gases; ground water recharge, discharge, and purification; and control or abatement of flooding, drought, and soil erosion. Wetlands also support valuable recreational, educational, and scientific opportunities. Yet many of these important areas have been lost or degraded due to human activities.

Many bird species, both waterfowl and land birds, depend on Nova Scotia's 36,000 wetlands throughout the year - for nesting, brood-rearing, migrating, and wintering habitat. Other species such as fish and fur-bearing animals also rely on wetland habitat.

Wetlands are not limited to freshwater areas. In Nova Scotia, Atlantic coastal islands and associated intertidal waters provide critical habitat for many species including: Common Eider, Scoter, Leaches Storm Petrel, Double Crested and Great Cormorant. Many waterfowl species, including thousands of Black Ducks and Canada Geese, spend their winters in the province's estuaries.

In 1986, Nova Scotia was one of the earliest Canadian signatories to North America's largest wetland conservation partnership - the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP). This partnership of Canada, the United States, and Mexico sets out a blueprint for developing public-private partnerships to conserve wetland resources in North America.

The Eastern Habitat Joint Venture (EHJV) is one of 15 regionally focused NAWMP partnerships. The EHJV covers Atlantic Canada plus Quebec and Ontario, and contains about 10 percent of the worlds wetlands. EHJV Partners in Nova Scotia include the Nova Scotia Department of Lands and Forestry, Environment Canada's Canadian Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited Canada, and Wildlife Habitat Canada. Other partners and supporters include corporate and private landowners, government agencies, conservation organizations, and individuals dedicated to the conservation of wetland habitats in our province.

In Nova Scotia the EHJV secures, conserves, manages, and supports sustainable use of wetlands, stream banks, and associated uplands that benefit wildlife in the long term - including several species of rare, threatened, and endangered flora and fauna. Partners in the venture have constructed more than 100 impoundments and small ponds on private and Crown land and re-established thousands of acres of thriving marsh.

In addition to this investment in the future of wildlife habitat in Nova Scotia, the work of the Joint Venture also serves as a model of how governments and non-governmental organizations can work successfully towards conservation goals. The most important measure of success to many Nova Scotians is the quality and availability of natural habitats. Many of these habitats might have been damaged, destroyed, or forgotten if not for the work of EHJV.