SPECTRUM NEWS • March 31, 2022
Environmental groups are applauding a new state law that will allow for the creation of more biodiversity conservation areas to protect habitats and aid in climate adaptation across Maine. Governor Janet Mills signed a bill Tuesday to raise the limits on the acreage of ecological reserves the state Bureau of Parks and Lands can acquire and manage. The BPL currently manages 97,000 acres across 19 reserves, under the previous cap of 100,000, according to the Natural Resources Council of Maine or NRCM. These sites are scattered throughout Downeast, western and northern Maine. The new limit is 115,000 acres. Advocates say it will help protect key new areas, especially in southern Maine, which currently lacks any reserves and the habitat protection they provide.