Globally rare plant one step closer to being protected thanks to efforts by the Nature Conservancy of Canada

September 6, 2022

Digby County, Nova Scotia

The not-for-profit organization expands upon its existing Brier Island Nature Reserve with an important piece of wetland

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) today announced the purchase of 11 hectares of key wetland habitat on Nova Scotia’s most westerly point: Brier Island. This new parcel of land increases the nature reserve’s size to 406 hectares, one third of the island’s total area. More than half of the new land contains a large bog, which provides rich wetland habitat frequented by birds and home to wetland plants.

This intact bog plays a key role in maintaining the natural hydrological functions of the nature reserve’s ecosystem and is essential to maintaining the habitat for eastern mountain avens, a globally rare plant listed under the federal Species at Risk Act. NCC is actively working with conservation partners to help restore the bog.

Plants found here include bog rosemary, leather leaf, Labrador tea, cranberry and lambkill. Approximately one quarter of the new area on the nature reserve contains white spruce and black spruce while alder make up the remaining quarter.

The overall nature reserve is comprised of forest, beach shoreline and wetlands, including several peat bogs. The reserve features a four-kilometre coastal hiking trail, which is maintained and managed by NCC stewardship staff and local partners. NCC’s stewardship team and the local community conduct beach clean-ups here, including clearing shorelines of washed-up and marine debris harmful to the migrating birds that are dependent on this strategic stopover location. To support the important stewardship work at the Brier Island Nature Reserve, the public can play a crucial part by volunteering and contributing to restoration efforts. To learn more, visit Support Brier Island.

The important land conservation project was made possible thanks to the generosity of private donors. The project was funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Target 1 Challenge Fund administered by the Government of Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Crown Share Land Legacy Trust.

This announcement highlights how NCC is accelerating the pace of conservation in Canada. In the past two years alone, NCC has influenced the protection of more than 1 million hectares (almost twice the size of Prince Edward Island), coast to coast to coast. Over the next few years, the organization will double its impact by mobilizing Canadians and delivering permanent, large-scale conservation.

In the face of rapid biodiversity loss and climate change, nature is our ally. There is no solution to either without nature conservation. When nature thrives, we all thrive.

Quotes

“Thanks to partners like the Nature Conservancy of Canada, important wetland habitat has been conserved to support many bird and plant species in Nova Scotia. Expanding this nature reserve will not only help us to halt biodiversity loss but also to make progress toward our goal of protecting a quarter of lands and a quarter of oceans in Canada by 2025 and work toward 30 per cent of each by 2030.” – The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

"By protecting these lands, the Nature Conservancy of Canada is conserving important habitat for species-at-risk and demonstrating how local communities and conservation partners can work together to help protect biodiversity and enhance the quality of life for Nova Scotians. I want to congratulate the Nature Conservancy of Canada on this achievement, and express appreciation for our ongoing collaboration as we work toward Nova Scotia’s legislated goal of protecting 20 per cent of our land and water by 2030." – The Honourable Timothy Halman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

“Brier Island is such a special place in Nova Scotia and expanding the existing protected area is a win for the endangered eastern mountain aven populations. The Brier Island Nature Reserve is important for the incredible bird life, offshore marine species and for people to connect to nature. It is truly an unforgettable place that will be protected forever.” – Jaimee Dupont Morozoff, NCC Program Director in Nova Scotia

Facts

Eastern mountain avens is a perennial plant that grows 20 to 50 centimetres tall and features a reddish stem and sun-yellow petals. This globally rare plant is found only in two locations: Brier Island and an adjacent site on the Digby neck and the White Mountains of New Hampshire. In Nova Scotia, this species is a component of the bog ecosystem and may serve as an indicator of overall ecosystem health.
Brier Island is recognized as one of the most important areas for birds in the Maritimes and is a popular destination for over 300 distinct species of birds including peregrine falcons, an at-risk species.
As part of the Atlantic flyway, over 100,000 birds visit the island annually. The surrounding waters and island are some of the most important areas in North America for red phalaropes and red-necked phalaropes that make the journey from the Arctic.
Aquatic species at risk, which can be observed around the island, include North Atlantic right whale (endangered) and fin whale (special concern), both listed under the federal Species at Risk Act. The surrounding waters are part of a proposed National Marine Conservation Area designation under Parks Canada’s protected areas system, which extends 15 kilometres offshore.

About

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is the country’s unifying force for nature. NCC seeks solutions to the twin crises of rapid biodiversity loss and climate change through large-scale, permanent land conservation. As a trusted partner, NCC works with people, communities, businesses and government to protect and care for our country’s most important natural areas. Since 1962, NCC has brought people together to conserve and restore more than 15 million hectares. In Atlantic Provinces, NCC has protected 35,970 hectares.

In Nova Scotia, the Government of Canada’s Target 1 Challenge funding flows through the Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Climate Change to conservation organizations and other partners to protect natural areas in the province. The partners include the Nature Conservancy of Canada, the Nova Scotia Nature Trust, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Unama'ki Institute of Natural Resources, The Confederacy of Mainland Mi'kmaq, Sespite'tmnej Kmitkinu Conservancy, Eskasoni Fish and Wildlife Commission, Town of Amherst and the Municipality of the County of Cumberland. The province can also use this federal funding for its land protection work.

The Nova Scotia Crown Share Land Legacy Trust is a fund established by the Province of Nova Scotia to support efforts of private land trusts, such as the Nature Conservancy of Canada, to protect ecologically significant sites on private land. The Land Legacy Trust is administered at arm’s length from government by three independent trustees.