Biodiversity Boreal Climate change Conservation planning Freshwater Indigenous partnerships Natural resource development Peatlands

The National Peatland Strategy: Implementation Opportunities for Nova Scotia

Goodday, V., Tanguay, L., Radatus-Smith, N. & Harris, L

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To facilitate uptake of the National Peatland Strategy, opportunities for implementation at the federal level and in each province and territory have been identified. This document outlines opportunities for the province of Nova Scotia.

Key points

• Canada’s peatlands are of global importance, storing over 150 billion tonnes of carbon.
• Canada's provinces and territories have the primary responsibility for properly stewarding these climate-critical ecosystems.
• Top opportunities for the Government of Nova Scotia to achieve better outcomes for peatlands, and the communities and ecosystems that rely on them, include:
  • Strengthening protections and compensation requirements under the Wetland Conservation Policy, including designating peatlands as Wetlands of Special Significance and legislating the related “no loss” policy objective.
  • Reflecting the essential and irreplaceable values and services of peatlands in land-use decision-making.
  • Collecting data on wetland carbon services and not using natural carbon sinks or stores to offset industrial emissions.
  • Strengthening representation of peatlands in the Province’s protected and conserved areas network.

The full strategy is available in both English and French.

Recommended citation

Goodday, V., Tanguay, L., Radatus-Smith, N. & Harris, L (2025). The National Peatland Strategy: Implementation Opportunities for Nova Scotia. Wildlife Conservation Society Canada [WCS Canada]. https://doi.org/10.19121/2025.Report.52386.p08.en