In the 2022 update to the federal piping plover Recovery Strategy, government adopted a “bounding box” approach to habitat identification, meaning that instead of protecting the whole beach for piping plover habitat, as was the prescription previously, only small areas that meet a certain set of criteria will be recommended for protection.
We argue that this new approach makes enforcement, and consequently protection, of beach habitats more difficult and leaves unprotected areas of sandy beaches open for development and construction.
Ecojustice, on behalf of East Coast Environmental Law and Nature Nova Scotia, launched a judicial review in late 2022 of the federal government’s weakened approach to habitat identification for piping plovers. We expect to go to court in Spring 2025 and are raising funds now for the legal costs.
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