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- Protected Areas Grade - 2004
- Manitoba Boreal World Heritage Site - IUCN Report
- North American Environmental Vision - NAFTA
- International Renewable Energies - Declaration
- Global Call for Water Quality Data
- Arctic Seabirds Signal Climate Change
- 'Dead Zones' Warning to the World
- Manitoba Wildlands Surveys Political Parties
- Premier Announces New Protected Areas
- Brazil Promises to Protect Amazon
- Maritime Provinces Embrace Renewable Energy
- Hydropower Not Clean Energy - New York
Protected Areas Grade - 2004 |
07 July 04 |
Manitoba's annual Protected Areas Grade was released in Winnipeg on July 7, 2004. This year's Grade, a C-, reflects cautious optimism resulting from recent actions by the Manitoba government. Gaile Whelan Enns, director, Manitoba Wildlands indicated: "The job of establishing protected areas across Manitoba's natural regions is about one - third done. We are glad to hear Premier Doer and the Conservation Minister saying they will be getting the job done. Over the next year Manitoba will need to follow through in its commitments to protect our forest regions. This is especially true in the regions inside forest management plans, and where Manitoba Hydro plans developments."This year's actions include extension of interim protection for the Poplar/Nanowin Rivers Park Reserve, and establishment of the first new protected area - Bell and Steeprock Canyons - in Manitoba's forest region in three years. This year's protected areas grade continues a sequence over 12 years, based on the same ecological and policy criteria to assess the annual protected areas grade. The WWF Canada initiated annual protected areas grades across Canada during the 1990's. View the Manitoba Wildlands 2004 Protected Areas Grade press release View Manitoba Wildlands' 2004 Protected Areas Grade - technical assessment View information on the history of the Protected Areas Grade for Manitoba View the Poplar River First Nation web site |
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Manitoba Boreal World Heritage Site - IUCN Report |
05 July 04 |
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) has released its report on the workshop held in St. Petersburg, Russia in fall 2003 to review and provide recommendations on potential World Heritage Sites for the boreal ecozone. The report, entitled 'Proceedings of the World Heritage Boreal Zone Workshop' (St. Petersburg, Russia, 10-13 October 2003), confirms the importance of the Atikaki/Woodland Caribou / First Nations Accord Area in Manitoba as a potential new site meriting consideration for inscription on the World Heritage List.The 'St. Petersburg report' follows the recent announcement by Canada's Environment Minister, David Anderson of the updated Tentative List for World Heritage Sites for Canada, which also listed the Atikaki/Woodland Caribou/First Nations Accord Area as a priority site. The 'St. Petersburg report' also calls upon nations home to boreal forests to use all available means to protect intact frontier boreal forests and other areas of the boreal zone that are of high conservation value. The report states that nations should complete assessments of potential boreal World Heritage sites, update their tentative lists accordingly, and prepare and submit those nominations to the World Heritage Centre. View the St. Petersburg Statement (excerpt) View the UNESCO World Heritage Site web site View the IUCN World Heritage Site web site View the Manitoba Wildlands news item on Canada's updated Tentative List for World Heritage Sites Source: IUCN
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North American Environmental Vision - NAFTA |
24 June 04 |
The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) under the North American Free Trade Agreement marked its tenth anniversary on June 23, 2004. The CEC adopted the Puebla Declaration, charting the next decade of environmental cooperation among Canada, Mexico and the United States. The CEC Council, composed of the three federal environment ministers, met in Puebla, Mexico, to direct the work of the CEC and identify opportunities and challenges for protecting and enhancing the North American environment.The Puebla Declaration reaffirms the three governments' commitment to the CEC and outlines three priority areas to guide the next decade of collaboration. The Council priorities are:
View the CEC's Puebla Declaration Source: Commission for Environmental Cooperation
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International Renewable Energies - Declaration |
24 June 04 |
In early June 2004, Ministers and Government representatives from 154 countries gathered in Bonn, Germany, for the International Conference for Renewable Energies (ICRE). As part of the outcomes of this conference, the organizers have released a Political Declaration, agreed to by Ministers and Government representatives. The Declaration includes a commitment to substantially increase the global share of renewable energy in the total energy supply. The declaration contains definitions of common political objectives for promoting the role of renewable energies. The International Action Programme (IAP) for renewable energies is another outcome of the conference. It includes concrete actions and commitments for developing renewable energies put forward by various governments, international organizations and stakeholders from civil society, and the private sector. An additional document, "Policy Recommendations for Renewable Energies" was also produced.View the ICRE Political Declaration (PDF) View the ICRE International Action Programme View the "Policy Recommendations for Renewable Energies" (PDF) Visit the International Conference for Renewable Energies web site Source: International Conference for Renewable Energies
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Global Call for Water Quality Data |
24 June 04 |
On June 5, 2004, the Global Environmental Monitoring System (GEMS) Water Programme, an initiative under the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), launched the Great Water Quality Data Drive.UNEP's GEMS/Water Programme objective is to collect data and information on inland water quality for environmental assessments at regional and global levels. These water quality data cover both surface and groundwater resources. However, there are many gaps that need to be filled, so the Great Water Quality Data Drive is a specific call to all water authorities around the world for inland water quality data. For more information, visit the GEMS Water Programme web site. View UNEP's Global Environmental Monitoring System (GEMS) Water Programme press release Visit the GEMS Water Programme web site Source: UNEP's GEMS/Water Programme
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Arctic Seabirds Signal Climate Change |
22 June 04 |
Canadian scientists say that a drastic decline in the population of ivory gulls could be a signal of changing conditions in the North. The population of all-white ivory gulls in the Canadian Arctic has dropped by more than 80 per cent in the last 20 years from about 2,400 in the 1980s to a recent survey that indicated a population of about 300. Scientists are also seeing fewer birds in Newfoundland and Labrador, where the birds winter. Thinning ice conditions and contaminants could be factors in the decline, which was first noted by the Inuit. The Canadian Wildlife Service is preparing a status report to have the gulls' status reviewed under the Species at Risk Act. View the CBC Online news story Source: CBC Online
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'Dead Zones' Warning to the World |
22 June 04 |
The Earth Policy Institute is calling attention to 'dead zones' - marine areas devoid of fish and other aquatic life as a result of diminished levels of dissolved oxygen in the water. Most sea life cannot survive in low-oxygen conditions. Dead zones are created when phytoplankton and algae grow into massive blooms in the presence of excessive concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus. When the phytoplankton dies, they fall to the seafloor and are digested by microorganisms. This process removes oxygen from the bottom water and creates low-oxygen, or hypoxic, zones.Worldwide, there are some 146 dead zones and since the 1960s, the number of dead zones has doubled each decade. Many are seasonal, but some of the low-oxygen areas persist year-round. Sources of excessive nitrogen and phosphorus that cause dead zones include: agricultural runoff; nitrogen from burning fossil fuels; and human waste. There is no single way to cure hypoxia, as the mix of contributing factors varies among locations. However, it is critical to reduce nutrient pollution and to restore ecosystem functions. Curbing fuel use, conservation, and a move toward renewable energy can also diminish impact of fossil fuels to creating dead zones. View the full Earth Policy Institute article |
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Manitoba Wildlands Surveys Political Parties |
21 June 04 |
On June 21, 2004, Manitoba Wildlands sent election survey questions to all national political parties about environmental issues with federal responsibilities in Manitoba. Each party has been asked to respond to the survey questions within five days. Topics include protected areas, species at risk, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, water, energy & climate change, and the east side of Lake Winnipeg. Canada's national election is June 28, 2004. The 2004 national election survey responses will be posted on ManitobaWildlands.org June 25, 2004. View the 2004 election survey questions View previous Manitoba Wildlands election surveys here |
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Premier Announces New Protected Areas |
18 June 04 |
On June 14, 2004 Manitoba's Premier announced additions to Manitoba's network
of protected areas - the 11,310 ha Bell and Steeprock Canyons Protected
Area, located within the Porcupine Provincial Forest, and the 15 ha Little
George Island Ecological Reserve. He also announced the extension of
interim protection for the 780,000 ha Poplar/Nanowin Rivers Park Reserve,
which is part of the traditional territory of Poplar River First Nation. An
expansion of the Rivers Provincial Park to include 50 ha of mixed
grass prairie, and protection of 4,100 ha of tall grass prairie lands owned
by the Nature Conservancy of Canada were also part of the announcement.Although the area of new protected land announced is relatively small, the announcement signified renewed commitment to Manitoba's Protected Areas Initiative (PAI). Premier Doer referred to upcoming projects related to the establishment of protected areas, including the joint Memorandum of Understanding for establishment of the Lowlands national park. The Premier also referred to new funds to support the continued work of the PAI. Currently one third of Manitoba's network of protected areas is in place across the province's natural regions. In Manitoba protected areas are free from logging, mining, hydroelectric, oil and gas development as well as other activities that could significantly and adversely affect natural habitat. A protected area may be designated under any of several laws in Manitoba. Designation of a protected area does not affect the ability to exercise Treaty and Aboriginal rights. View the Manitoba Government press release View the Protected Areas Initiative web site View the Poplar River First Nation web site View the Manitoba Wildlands Protected Areas pages Photo: Premier Gary Doer and Conservation Minister Stan Struthers at press conference June 14, 2004
Source: Government of Manitoba |
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Brazil Promises to Protect Amazon |
14 June 04 |
Brazil's environment Minister is defending its commitment to fight destruction of the Amazon rain forest despite delays in creating reserves to protect the world's largest jungle. The government has promised to create 33 million acres of environmental reserves in 2004, after Amazon destruction last year reached its second-highest level. As of June 2004, just 1.58 million acres have been committed for protection - most of that with a June 3rd announcement of two new Atlantic rain forest reserves.Brazilian environment minister Marina Silva says she isn't worried. She sees big reserves on the horizon and says it takes time to build areas that could protect the rain forest as well as people's livelihoods. In 2003, 5.9 million acres of Amazon jungle, bigger than the U.S. state of New Jersey, were destroyed as ranchers and farmers advanced on the tropical jungle. The Amazon encompasses an area just under half the size of the continental United States. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has faced criticisms from environmentalists that he is more interested in building roads and dams through the Amazon than slowing its destruction. Environmentalists fear deforestation of the Amazon because it is the world's biggest reservoir of fresh water, home to up to 30 percent of the world's plant and animal species, and a source of medicines. Approximately 15 percent of the jungle has already been destroyed. Brazil's Atlantic rain forest - once a third the size of the Amazon - is now only 7 percent of its original size. View the full Planet Ark news article Source: Reuters/Planet Ark
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Maritime Provinces Embrace Renewable Energy |
14 June 04 |
The Government of Prince Edward Island (PEI) marked Clean Air Day (June 2, 2004) by unveiling a plan for Prince Edward Island to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels that pollute the environment and, at the same time, achieve a measure of energy self-sufficiency. The Energy Framework and Renewable Energy Strategy outlines an action plan to enhance the role of renewable energy, and a framework for a comprehensive provincial energy strategy that will be shaped in the months ahead.The New Brunswick Department of Energy is also developing a Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS). It announced in May 2004 that it has retained the services of Synapse Energy Inc. to map out the province's strategy, which will require, through legislation, that a certain percentage of annual electricity supply comes from renewable energy. Following acceptance by the provincial government, the committee's recommendation, the authority to regulate Renewable Portfolio Standards, was written into the new Electricity Act, which comes into effect on Oct. 1, 2004. Renewable energy is energy that can be naturally recycled or replenished within a relatively short period. It includes wind, solar, hydro and biomass (wood, sawmill residue and municipal waste). Renewable energy sources currently meet about seven per cent of PEI's total energy requirements, with biomass accounting for 6.5 per cent and wind 0.5 per cent. View the Government of Prince Edward Island press release View the PEI Energy Framework and Renewable Energy Strategy View the Government of New Brunswick press release Sources: Government of PEI, Canadian Wind Energy Association, Government of New Brunswick
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Hydropower Not Clean Energy - New York |
14 June 04 |
A June 3, 2004 ruling by Judge Eleanor Stein, President of the Commission regarding a Retail Renewable Portfolio Standard of the New York State Public Service Commission means that the State of New York no longer considers large-scale hydroelectricity as green and renewable energy and excludes it from its list of main tier eligible generation sources.The State legislation requires that 17% of the public supply of energy come from clean and renewable sources. Judge Stein's decision renders unacceptable new hydropower plants with reservoirs and those producing more that 30 MW, making only hydropower from small run-of-river power plants eligible. Fourteen American States have adopted a similar legislation and their number is growing every year. Rupert Reverence, a group of Cree and Quebec citizens dedicated to the protection of Northern Quebec Rivers, took part in this commission by tabling, on September 26, 2004, a statement regarding the environmental, social and ethical impacts of large hydroelectric projects in James Bay. View the New York state Public Service Commission Renewable Portfolio Standard View the Union of Concerned Scientists web page on renewable energy View the statement to the New York State Public Service Commission by Rupert Reverence View the Rupert Reverence web site Source: Rupert Reverence
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