BUFFERS IN KESPUKWITK – 2026 Fall Science Conference
Dates: November 18-19, 2026
Venue: Caledonia Fire Hall, 9793 Highway 8, Caledonia NS
In this conference the role of buffers in Kespukwitk will be examined from site to landscape scales. As zones between sensitive ecosystems or habitats and areas of human disturbance, buffers make industry and other intensive human activities possible. Without buffers, valuable ecological services, such as drinking water, recreational opportunities, and insect pollination for crops, are at risk. Buffers themselves are often significant habitats supporting biodiversity in the complex transition zones where ecosystems meet, providing critical habitat for many species at risk. At this conference, the importance and efficacy of buffers will be examined through contributed oral and poster sessions and panel discussions. Topics may include the role of buffers in maintaining the integrity of sensitive ecosystems and Species at Risk (SAR) habitat; methods for establishing buffers; effectiveness of different buffer widths; legislated versus voluntary buffers; how buffers can include OECMs and contribute to 30x30 targets; and the role of privately stewarded lands in buffer zones of Biosphere Reserves. Throughout, the conference will stress Etuaptmumk—“two-eyed seeing,” and the need to learn to live sustainably in the natural world − the Netukulimk way of the Mi’kmaw.
This event is a collaboration between the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute (MTRI) and the Southwest Nova Biosphere Association (SWNBRA), a UNESCO recognized organization with a principal mandate to demonstrate a working Buffer Area compatible with the ecological integrity of its Core, Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site and the Tobeatic Wilderness Area.