Connecting Value and Knowledge of Marine Environmental Issues: A Social Survey in Coastal Nova Scotia

Abstract

The maritime province of Nova Scotia maintains a strong cultural and economic connection to the sea, but is increasingly under threat from various anthropogenic stressors, such as climate change, overfishing, and pollution. Currently, only 0.59% of Nova Scotia’s marine environment is protected under federal legislation. My thesis aims to understand the level of knowledge on marine environmental issues among coastal Nova Scotians, the value they place on the marine environment and their perception of ocean management in Nova Scotia, through the development of a social survey. Over 1500 surveys were sent to ten select postal codes in coastal Nova Scotia with a response timeframe of 5 weeks. Of the 1500 surveys, 160 surveys were returned (a 10% response rate). Most respondents were life-long residents of the province and over 50 years old (73%), held a University or College degree (39%), and lived within 1km of the sea (58%). Survey results indicate that 75% of respondents believe the marine environment to be “Very” or “Extremely” important to them, mostly (99%) for ‘Environmental’ reasons (value of marine life, sustainability, and healthy oceans, for example). A majority (71%) of respondents feel Nova Scotia’s marine environment is under threat, while over 50% believe there is need for better ocean management in Nova Scotia, and desire to protect at least half of Nova Scotia’s physical marine environment. Additionally, 50% of the respondents consider themselves to be only “Somewhat Aware” of marine environmental issues; indicating a potential weakness in provincial ocean literacy. Since 73% of our survey respondents were aged 50 and older, there is a need to expand our survey to capture the missed demographic groups such as youth, fishermen, and aboriginal peoples. The final results of this study will help provide valuable insight to policy makers and environmental educators on the level of ocean knowledge and perceived threat among Nova Scotians, and the value they place on the marine environment.

Key words: Public knowledge, marine environmental issues, ocean literacy, environmental education, marine management, social survey, marine citizenship