          
DID YOU KNOW...More than 600 First Nations communities maintain traditional roots in the Boreal |
Media CentrePress Releases2005Eight in ten NWT residents want more protected areas in the territoryMarch 14, 2005 - Ottawa A new poll released by the Canadian Boreal Initiative shows that NWT residents want to see more of the territory protected from industrial development. The poll found that 83 percent of NWT residents supported the creation of more areas protected from industrial activities, but where traditional activities like hunting and fishing were allowed. "This direction needs to guide us as we contemplate the single largest industrial construction project in the history of our country - the proposed Mackenzie Valley pipeline," said CBI Director Cathy Wilkinson. "The NWT represents fully one-fifth Canada's vast Boreal region, and is one of our most important opportunities to plan for conservation in advance of development." "Our people have seen many changes in the land," said Herb Norwegian, Grand Chief of the Dehcho First Nations. "We need to be certain that there are some places that will remain as our Elders remember them, while we work to ensure that any development is done in a manner that will support and sustain our communities." The survey also found that eight in ten (82%) respondents say that "a balanced approach to economic and environmental protection" is a high priority. This is in line with the comprehensive and balanced vision of the Boreal Forest Conservation Framework, which aims to protect half the region and ensure sustainable management on the remaining landscape. "The results of this poll clearly indicate a determined mindset is present in communities of the Northwest Territories that have potential to be affected by industrial activity," said Shannon Haszard, Northwest Territories Manager, Ducks Unlimited Canada in Yellowknife. " These communities are not opposed to development but want to maintain control to ensure that overall land use is sustainable for water, wildlife and their way of life". Stephen Kakfwi former Premier of the NWT said that, "The results of this poll clearly echo the long standing will of many people in NWT communities, that before any major pipeline development occurs in the Mackenzie Valley, well-coordinated land use planning must be completed, and a network of special cultural and wildlife areas be protected through the NWT Protected Areas Strategy process." According to Greg Yeoman with the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) in Yellowknife, the poll reinforces that efforts to implement the NWT Protected Areas Network reflect public values. "Here in the North, we have the opportunity to plan for conservation first and ensure adequate protection of natural ecosystems is in place before development decisions proceed." The December 2004 opinion research was conducted for the Canadian Boreal Initiative by McAllister Opinion Research (www.mcallister-research.com). The findings are based on a phone survey of 500 randomly selected NWT adults between December 17-22, 2004 with a margin of error of 4.3%, 19 times out of 20. The survey was weighted to reflect the latest census figures on ethnicity, gender, age and region. The Canadian Boreal Initiative (CBI) supports a number of partners in both the NWT and the Yukon. In addition to actively supporting the NWT Protected Areas Strategy, the CBI has partnered with a number of northern Aboriginal partners including the Kaska Nation's conservation initiative to protect the ecological integrity of its lands and waters, while enhancing cultural and socio-economic well-being through ecosystem-based planning initiatives. More broadly, CBI is working with the Dehcho First Nations, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Ducks Unlimited Canada and World Wildlife Fund Canada and other leading First Nations, resource companies and conservationists through the Boreal Forest Conservation Framework. For more information, visit www.borealcanada.ca. Related Backgrounders -30- For more information: |
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