While government’s review of proposed protected areas in the province is expected to take three years to complete, some decisions may be made much sooner.

The province announced last week, that they will be reviewing 10 areas, most of which were identified Ecological Reserve Advisory Council’s 2021 priority assessment.

Consultations on the various areas will take place between now and 2026, but Environment and Climate Change Minister Bernard Davis explains that some decisions could be made along the way.

He says that there will be various levels of consultations and reports from those that will be sent back to government. As an example, he says consultations done in 2023 could result in areas becoming protected in 2024, so he expects some decisions to be made along the way.