Daily BrewNature Conservancy’s wilderness corridor paves way for ‘moose sex’
The Nature Conservancy of Canada is hoping to encourage some inter-provincial affairs between moose in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia by securing a wilderness “love” corridor between the two provinces.
So far, the Moose Sex Project has obtained approximately 1,000 hectares of private land on both sides of the region, known as the Chignecto Isthmus. It’s a natural land bridge that connects Nova Scotia to the rest of continental North America. Without it, the area would essentially be an island, isolating wildlife and ecology and putting it at risk.
Although the region is home to many different species, like lynx and bobcat, the Conservancy chose to focus on the moose, which have declined in numbers over the years.
“We built the project around an iconic Canadian species, the moose, which is actually endangered in Nova Scotia,” Craig Smith, the program’s director in Nova Scotia, told Yahoo Canada News.
The province is home to only about 1,000 of them, compared to New Brunswick’s 29,000. By securing the land bridge from development, such as clear cutting, open pit mines or paved roads, it increases the chance of moose — and other species — of meandering over to the other side to meet some new mates.
“It’s important we have new animals from New Brunswick coming over to Nova Scotia and finding mates there,” Smith said. “At least to introduce some new genetic material into the population so it doesn’t decline in its genetic makeup.”
Wildlife subjected to high levels of inbreeding will become weaker and more susceptible to disease over time. But, unlike Tinder dating, these things don’t happen overnight.
“If we’re able to move moose from New Brunswick to Nova Scotia and connect them with some of that existing population, it gives them a fighting chance so that my son can see a moose in the province 30 years from now,” Smith said.
He added that the impact of such conservation efforts should unfold over about 100 years.
Ecological corridors have been used for conservation projects throughout North America. Regions that have undergone similar projects include the spine of the Rocky Mountains between Yellowstone and Yukon and one between Algonquin Park in Ontario and Appalachian mountains in Northern New York State.
The Chignecto Isthmus is also very rich in flora and fauna, particularly for waterfowl, such as ducks and other migratory water birds.
“(Securing the region) prevents the possibilities that someone will come in and clear cut the entire area, which would drive all the wildlife out, and make moving from New Brunswick to Nova Scotia impossible,” Smith said. “We’re not really creating anything. We’re protecting against future land uses.”
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