Funding announced for Atlantic Canada environmental projects

On August 8, Environment and Climate Change Canada Minister Catherine McKenna announced over $2 million in grants and contributions funding for environmental projects in Atlantic Canada. According to the ministry, these projects will provide a better picture of the health of Atlantic ecosystems and will support clean and sustainable communities and long-term economic growth.

Through the Atlantic Ecosystems Initiatives (AEI) Funding Program, a total of $1.3 million was awarded to eight projects that focus on water quality, habitat and biodiversity, and the impact of climate change. The AEI aims to improve the health, productivity and long-term sustainability of ecosystems by supporting projects based on partnerships and collaboration among organizations throughout Atlantic Canada.

The Gulf of Maine Initiative (GMI) focuses on projects that maintain a healthy ecosystem that supports long-term sustainability and economic growth. Four projects in the Gulf of Maine region were awarded over $700,000 through this initiative. The goal of the GMI is to maintain a healthy ecosystem that supports long-term sustainability and economic growth. Projects funded through the GMI support decision making and/or actions that encourage responsible development by increasing the understanding and monitoring of ecosystem health, identifying and reducing key stressors to ecosystem health, and implementing activities that contribute to a healthy ecosystem.

The Gulf of Maine is a large watershed spanning much of the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and the states of Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, which border its coast. It is a highly productive ecosystem that is environmentally significant and economically important to Canada. Over 3,000 marine species and birds are found in the Gulf of Maine, as well as more than 30 species at risk.