World Conservation Congress Urges Boreal Conservation |
25 November 04 |
 A recommendation calling on Canada, Russia, and all boreal forest nations to recognize, preserve and protect ecological processes that sustain the overall health of boreal forest regions has been accepted by the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress (WCC), being held in Bangkok, Thailand (November 17-25, 2004).The recommendation makes specific reference to the need to "facilitate and continue to fund needed scientific, technical, indigenous and local community activity to assist in the nomination and designation of boreal forest regions as recognized international sites, for example, World Heritage Sites such as the indigenous led Atikaki/Woodland Caribou/Accord First Nations - Manitoba and Ontario nomination, recently placed on Canada's official Tentative List for World Heritage Sites." Members of Poplar River First Nation have been in attendance at the WCC and participating in the workshops and negotiations to bring the recommendation before the WCC Assembly. Manitoba Wildlands and the Natural Resources Defense Council have been working with the First Nation involved in the World Heritage Site nomination. The recommendation urges Canada, Russia, and all boreal forest nations to ensure the conservation of boreal forest regions by enhancing and expanding protected areas, establishing new protected areas, and enforcing sustainable land use practices. It also calls for future conservation options to be ensured by having community and ecosystem land use planning precede the allocation of forestry, oil and gas development, new highways, mineral development, hydroelectric development licenses or other industry uses. Visit the web site of the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress Download a copy of the WCC Recommendation CGR3.REC021 - Conservation of Canada's Boreal Forest Visit the Poplar River First Nation web site Visit the Pikangikum First Nation web site - The Whitefeather Forest Initiative View a map of the Atikaki/Woodland Caribou/Accord First Nations World Heritage Site nomination (PDF) Source: IUCN, IISO, Earth Negotiations Bulletin, NRDC |
|
