Submitted by Wayne King
Vision:
Biodiversity has already been carelessly lost through clear cutting and removal of old growth forest. Cutting too close to small streams and rivers causes water temperature to rise and as the temp. rises the oxygen is depleted from the water, and the end of life in lakes rivers and streams. Forests are either managed or lost. If there is no plan to manage a forest, a good one is to Do No harm and deny all cutting except silviculture. Some minerals are only mined at the expense of devastating the natural resources and environment. Parks in Nova Scotia are small in nature and not well used by the people of Nova Scotia so no a lot is invested in this area. This should change.
Strengths:
The main strengths are based in that other than clear cutting the province looks much like it did centuries ago, which from a marketing point of view, there is much to see and protect.
Barriers and Issues:
Of course Lobby groups are the biggest threat and dumb land owners and developers who dump and clear land destroying anything for buck.
Lack of colourfull information which points what is at stake may help. Being too polite will only tell the offenders its destroy as usual.
Community's Priorities:
Before you can have positive change in any community you must have people form opinions and action related debate from which a plan is constructed toward protection and changes needed in policy and information sessions.
Guiding the health and sustainability:
Environmental sustainability, public awareness, longterm management policy, public participation. world level management models. good planning.
Additional Comments:
Special interest groups which exist primarily for profit should be exposed and debated as to the damage that lobby interest and their effect on nature.