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GOVERNMENT OF CANADA CONTRIBUTES $9 MILLION TOWARD MACKENZIE VALLEY PROTECTED AREAS ACTION PLAN

YELLOWKNIFE (December 21, 2004) - The Government of Canada has committed to provide approximately $9 million over five years toward implementation of the NWT Protected Areas Strategy Five-Year Action Plan for the Mackenzie Valley: Conservation Planning for Pipeline Development, Minister of State for Northern Development, Ethel Blondin Andrew, announced at a news conference today, on behalf of Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Andy Scott.

"The Government of Canada believes in the balanced approach of creating protected areas as an integral component of sustainable development," said Minister Blondin-Andrew. "Creating a system of protected areas is one way of ensuring that the biodiversity and cultural significance of the North will continue."

This initiative supports the federal government's objectives under the Northern Strategy Framework, announced by the Prime Minister and Territorial Leaders on December 14, 2004. The Northern Strategy, the first-ever comprehensive strategy for the North, is being developed by the federal and territorial governments in cooperation with Aboriginal governments, organizations, and Northerners. Initiatives like the NWT Protected Areas Strategy, with its emphasis on partnership and the central role of communities, supports the Northern Strategy's goal of engaging all partners in the North in the protection and stewardship of the environment.

"The NWT Protected Areas Strategy contributes to the conservation of our natural areas for future generations, and has the potential to add to the social well-being of Aboriginal communities, indeed, all the people of the NWT," Minister Scott said.

In response to the increasing pace and scale of development within the NWT and, in particular, along the Mackenzie Valley, the Government of Canada asked the Implementation Advisory Committee of the NWT Protected Areas Strategy (NWT-PAS) to develop the five-year action plan. The plan was released in October 2003, with the goal of establishing a network of permanently protected areas in the Mackenzie Valley. The action plan outlines timely and effective conservation planning in the Mackenzie Valley ahead of, or concurrently with, pipeline development.

"The NWT Protected Areas Strategy represents a best practice in collaborative efforts between various levels of government, communities, environmental organizations and industry," said Brendan Bell, Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development for the Government of the NWT. "This significant commitment by the federal government provides assurance that the task of establishing protected areas can be accelerated in the face of increased industrial development in the Mackenzie Valley."

The action plan will run from 2004-2009. It will enhance the existing network of protected areas in the NWT by mapping ecologically representative areas, completing non-renewable resource potential mapping, and achieving cooperative implementation of the NWT-PAS at a regional level. The plan emphasizes conservation planning for 16 eco-regions in the Mackenzie Valley faced with increasing exploration and development.

"Today, the Government of Canada is pleased to announce that it will contribute its full share to the action plan," added Minister Blondin Andrew. "In light of the recent filing of the Mackenzie Gas Project Environmental Impact Statement, this commitment represents a major step towards our goal of ensuring responsible economic development within a sound environmental management framework."

Implementation of the action plan will cost an estimated $18 million over five years. Federal costs towards the plan are approximately $9 million over five years. Environmental non-government organizations are committed to funding one third (approximately $5.4 million) of the Action Plan. The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) and other partners are currently reviewing funding options regarding the remaining $3.6 million required to fulfill action plan requirements.

For more information, please contact:

David Livingstone
Director, Renewable Resources and Environment
DIAND, NWT Region
(867) 669-2647

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