Endangered Species Act (S.N.S. 1998, c. 11).

The purpose of the present Act is to provide for the protection, designation, recovery and other relevant aspects of conservation of species at risk in the Province, including habitat protection, while recognizing the following: a) the goal of preventing any species in the Province from becoming extirpated or extinct as a consequence of human activities; b) the conservation of species at risk is a key component of a broader strategy to maintain biodiversity and to use biological resources in a sustainable manner; c) the commitment of Government to a national co-operative approach for the conservation of species at risk, as agreed to in the National Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk; ) all Nova Scotians share responsibility for the conservation of species at risk and governments have a leadership role to play in this regard; e) Nova Scotians be provided with the opportunity for meaningful participation in relation to conservation of species at risk; f) the aboriginal peoples of the Province have an important role in conserving species at risk; g) the importance of promoting the purposes of this Act primarily through non-regulatory means such as co-operation, stewardship, education and partnerships instead of punitive measures, including such preventative actions as education, incentives, sustainable management practices and integrated resource management; and h) the precautionary principle that a lack of full scientific certainty must not be used as a reason for postponing measures to avoid or minimize the threat of a species at risk in the Province. The text - consisting of 30 sections – deals with the following aspects: Species at Risk Conservation Fund, Species at Risk Working Group, prohibitions, permits, registration and service, information and offence.