The Newfoundland and Labrador Prospectors Association is concerned about the adoption of WERAC’s provisional protected areas plan for the island.
The Wilderness and Ecological Reserves Advisory Council put forward A Home for Nature last year with some saying it doesn’t go far enough to protect natural areas.
The Prospectors Association disagrees, saying the plan leaves little room to exploit the province’s vast mineral resources.
The President of the NLPA Norm Mercer says with provincial debt at record high levels and a struggling economy, he’s worried that the protected areas plan will have a significant economic impact.
The Association says mineral exploration on the island is at a five-year high, with close to 55,000 mineral claims being staked in the last two years.
Mineral commodity shipments were valued at $4.2-billion says Mercer, with much of the activity in rural parts of the province. He says close to 7,000 people are directly employed as a result, with many more spinoff jobs and he says the future is bright.
All that will be put in jeopardy according to Mercer if the government approves WERAC’s plan which includes many areas presently staked and where mineral exploration is now taking place.