Marine conservation versus offshore oil and gas extraction: Reconciling an intensifying dilemma in Atlantic Canada

Abstract

Conflicts between the drive to expand offshore oil and gas development and the effort to protect marine areas are intensifying globally. These competing imperatives are manifested acutely off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, where petroleum interests overlap with diverse protected areas: while the Government of Nova Scotia fosters the expansion of its offshore petroleum sector, the Government of Canada is advancing Marine Protected Area networks that place limits on extractive industrial activities offshore. This paper examines how this conflict is being managed through the process of offshore petroleum licensing with a focus on call for bids that spatially overlap with or are adjacent to conservation areas. Drawing on interviews with 25 marine stakeholders (government, fishers, environmental, and Indigenous groups), we found that consultation processes failed to resolve conflicts, sector trade-offs were poorly understood, and petroleum interests were prioritized over biodiversity protection. Efforts by the offshore oil and gas regulator to secure a social licence to operate have not been successful. An evolving program of marine spatial planning in the Scotian bioregion has the potential to address broader issues at this contentious intersection.