Feb 24, 2026:
– Former manager of biodiversity “shocked” at DNR changes (Audio)
Information Morning – Cape Breton with Steve Sutherland, interview with Sherman Boates “A shakeup is coming to the wildlife division of the Department of Natural Resources. That’s raising concerns over its potential impacts on conservation in the province. We hear from a former biologist who worked at DNR for over 30 years and who helped set up their biodiversity program.”
(This news item is posted under In the News/Climate & Biodiversity)
Rough Transcript of the Audio
CBC: We found out last week that the Houston government is enacting a shakeup of the provincial Department of Natural Resources.
According to DNR, its division will now be renamed and grouped together with other services. A source at DNR told the CBC that seven non-unionized staff members were let go including the manager of biodiversity, the manager of ecosystems and habitats, and the director of wildlife.
In an internal memo obtained by the CBC, the Deputy Minister says quote “today we’re taking a deliberate step to realign how DNR is structured so we’re better positioned to deliver on governments mandate driving economic development while maintaining strong stewardship of Nova scotia’s natural resources.”
So for reaction to some of the changes in the wildlife division , our guest is someone who knows how it works from the inside. Sherman Boates is a conservation biologist and a former Manager of Biodiversity with the Wildlife Division at DNR. He’s in the Gaspereau Valley.
Sherman welcome back to information morning long time no talk.
SB: yes good morning Steve, ‘certainly we’ve talked in the past.
CBC: So what are your thoughts generally on the changes that came down?
SB: …so I was very shocked last Thursday when I heard about the changes. The wildlife division has been around since the 1960s and it’s one of the main pillars of the work that Natural Resourcees has done
… there’s a parks division, a forestry division, mines and minerals division, and the wildlife division and the current changes really undermined that pillar.
It’s largely been compromised and we’re very very concerned about it, not just myself, many people that have previously worked with the department and lots of interest groups that are interested in nature and wildlife across the province.
CBC: You said the wildlife division has been around since the 60s, what about the biodiversity branch? 1:58
SB: so over time, basically the wildlife division deals with two main topics: the conservation of wildlife and the sustainable use like the hunting and trapping aspects of wildlife.
So “biodiversity” is just a modern term for wildlife, or for nature, and in the early 90s when the Earth Summit happened, people started shifting their attention towards a more broad definition of wildlife, of biodiversity…
In fact, a previous colleague, deputy minister Peter Underwood was at that Earth Summit and brought back much of the information to Nova Scotia in the early 90s. 2:43
So since the early 90s, we’ve been working at moving towards a more of a biodiversity approach not just within the wildlife division but really across government.
CBC: So you said that these changes will undermine the goal of the wildlife division – in what ways, what are the changes that most concern you?
SB: … well I think the thing that concerns me the most at this point is the leadership and the people that are most responsible to bring information, knowledge, and viewpoints about wildlife to the government structure are gone.
That is the Ecosystems and Habitat Manager, the Biodiversity Manager which I was previously, and the Director of wildlife.
So all the work that’s being done there will be reported to another group. But really, for example, in Forestry there two directors of wildlife, quite a few managers, same thing in the other pillars that I mentioned early.
But wildlife now has been I think very seriously compromised because the leadership the coordination and really the Champions of wildlife and biodiversity not just within DNR but across government are gone.
CBC: So for instance like what did you do in that job? Can you give me a real life example of where you stepped in to guide policy?
SB: Well for example I was very much involved with the Endangered Species Act which in Nova Scotia was really the first stand-alone act in Canada and now there are 60 species or so listed under that legislation. And legislation requires many things to be done, and that was one of my jobs,, to make sure that the requirements of the legislation would be done.
In the program I worked in, we worked on everything, from small things that people don’t really know much about like lichens, to moose to piping plovers. So it covered a wide range of species, it covered species-at-risk, invasive species; influencing environmental assessment plans, by providing data and research; influencing and helping to make decisions around forestry plans. that’s just some examples.
CBC: So if you say that one of your jobs was to be sure that the requirements of the endangered species legislation were followed, like for example how would you step in to make sure that that was done?
SB: Well the law requires, for example, recovery plans to be done so that means that the government is required to make a formal plan to make sure as far as possible that not only is a species prevented from becoming extinct or getting worse, but to improve the situation in recovery.
So we would work very closely with the regional services network of biologists and technicians across Nova Scotia and we would collect data information and work together;
And it was a job of the Wildlife Division and the Biodiversity Program Manager to make sure that those plans are ready and moved up through government to be approved;
CBC: and were there times where you would have to alter development, like cutting or mineral resource extraction for the purposes of following the legislation?
SB: For sure, and you know ,many different areas of development ,many different activities like forestry, we would be very much involved along with the regional services staff.
And I think you know one of the troubles here, and maybe this is part of the problem with the current government, is they [don’t] see that good input on the environment towards development is actually a benefit, and it’s the way that most of the world is working these days. 7:06
I have a quote from Ruth Davis who was, she is still the UK special representative on Nature, and she said just the other day that
Nature is not in opposition to the economy, it is the economy.
So most people are thinking about wildlife, biodiversity, nature as being the basis of a healthy economy, the basis of healthy people and very very important at a fundamental level for us.
So the wildlife division changes I think even impact Nova Scotia’s ability to work towards that vision that many people have now.
CBC: So how ,So what what do you think will be the result of these changes?
SB: Well I really can’t say, we haven’t got a lot of information yet Steve. We’ve seen a new organizational chart but what we know is that the Director and the managers are gone.
So I’m not exactly sure how the people that are still, were in the former Wildlife Division, how they’re going to report and how they’re going to actually be able to get their advice carried up the the pipeline to higher levels of government where the important decisions are made. 8:30
CBC: Right. One government statement suggested that expertise in wildlife will remain in the department, there’s no change to the number of wildlife technicians, and biologists and that, quote, these wildlife staff will now be better able to participate in decision making in contrast to doing their work in isolation.
Could you see some benefit to some of those staff members being integrated in this new land strategy and planning branch?
SB: Yes…but we’ve been working we worked for decades on improving communication and decision making and planning across not just within DNR but across government departments.
And those managers and that director were fundamental to that work. So we won’t have the same status as Parks or have the same status as Forestry or Minerals and Mines, we will be working at a very different level It’s not even clear yet how those people will be supervised and coordinated as well.
CBC: Sherman thank you very much for taking the call appreciate your time.
Sherman Boates is a former manager of the Biodiversity Program with DNR’s Wildlife Division which is now going to be renamed and made Integrated Resource Planning.
He retired in 2017.
By the way we did send an interview request to the province on these changes; that request was declined, they sent a statement instead which says in part,
“Government needs to become more focused and efficient and the public service will do its part that means aligning programs and services so that they are in the right place to deliver the best outcomes for Nova Scotians. “10:48
“We’re building capacity in key areas like economic analysis.”
The e-mail also highlights one key change in the realignment; DNR says quote “wildlife staff move from one branch into a new Land Strategy and Planning branch to ensure stronger alignment with land use planning, stewardship integration, and reduce duplication across branches. And there is no change to the number of wildlife technicians biologists and other staff who played in Horton role in supporting healthy wildlife and managing wildlife issues across the province”
That came from a statement given to us instead of an interview by DNR.
Your thoughts in this are welcome give us a ring at 1-800-309-5556 10:48