NCC Program Director Piers Evans says this province has a steep hill to climb to meet targets and would have to protect an area the size of Portugal.
This province has a way to go before matching Canada’s National average for protected areas. Newfoundland and Labrador currently has 6.9 percent protected while the national average is double that. Canada has committed to have at least 30 percent of lands and waters designated as protected by the year 2030. Piers Evans is the Program Director with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). On Wednesday, the NCC announced 2.600 hectares in four communities, including Corner Brook, have been designated as protected. Evans says this province has a steep hill to climb to meet targets and would have to protect an area the size of Portugal. He says there has been a lot of economic progress with mining exploration and the possibility of wind energy. He says there needs to be a balance. Evans says communities, companies, governments and others need to work together to reach this target.