Program Update 2005-2006

Trempling Aspen, Photo: Samantha J. Song, Environment Canada

Canada’s boreal forests represent a wealth of resources: clean water, clean air, abundant & diverse flora & fauna. Careful stewardship of this vast ecosystem will ensure a legacy for the benefit of future generations. Environment Canada has identified the boreal forest as a priority ecosystem, recognizing that the boreal region has become an increased focus of economic and ecological attention in recent years. This report provides an overview of our efforts in 2005-2006 that support the conservation of boreal forests and their biodiversity in the prairie provinces.

Since its launch in 2003, the Western Boreal Conservation Initiative (WBCI) has concentrated on the delivery of science and science expertise, recognizing that the lack of suffcient information to support decision-making threatens the sustainability of boreal ecosystems. Building on strengths in migratory bird management, WBCI’s activities are framed by the principles of ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation and applied across the disciplines of ecological, social and economic sciences. WBCI’s partnerships are key to building this capacity, and are fundamental to the success of WBCI.

WBCI’s partnerships involve governments, communities, Aboriginal peoples, industry, academia, and non-governmental organizations. WBCI represents one aspect of a large, ongoing effort by many partners to address challenges facing the boreal ecosystem.

WBCI is implemented at a regional scale, but with a national goal in mind. It is intended to serve as the foundation for a future national initiative, and to provide a model for partnership-based collaboration for boreal forest conservation on a national scale.

More information about the boreal forest and WBCI can be found in our backgrounder and strategic plan documents. To obtain copies, see contact information at the back of this update.

We invite partnerships with those who share our vision of conservation, protection and sustainable development for Canada’s boreal forests.