Canada Signs Historic Agreement On Wilderness Protection With U.S. And Mexico

MERIDA, MEXICO, Nov 07 (MARKET WIRE) --
The Honourable Jim Prentice, Canada's Environment Minister and Minister
responsible for Parks Canada, today announced an unprecedented memorandum
of understanding with the U.S. and Mexico to cooperate on wilderness
conservation across North America. The announcement was made at the 9th
World Wilderness Congress (Wild 9) in Mexico, where the Minister
delivered a keynote speech on Canadian leadership in wildlife
conservation.

"This memorandum of understanding with the U.S. and Mexico to cooperate
on wilderness conservation will lead to tangible benefits for wilderness
and our protected places," said Minister Prentice. "We will be working
towards common goals of building and restoring resilient, well-connected
networks of protected areas that will be a wilderness legacy for the
future."

Minister Prentice was invited to speak at the international congress in
recognition of the Government's stewardship in the massive expansion of
Nahanni National Park Reserve of Canada, a World Heritage Site and the
6th largest national park in the world.

The public, international environmental forum is designed to bring
together the full spectrum of wilderness-related views and is being
attended by representatives from government, the private sector, native
peoples, non-governmental organizations, academia and the arts.

The Government of Canada has permanently protected a massive expansion of
the Nahanni National Park Reserve of Canada - the greatest conservation
achievement in a generation. In addition, the Government has declared new
wilderness areas in Waterton Lakes National Park of Canada, Fundy
National Park of Canada, Vuntut National Park of Canada, and the Nahanni
and permanently protected Saoyu and AEehdacho National Historic Site of
Canada on the shores of Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories.

(Also available on the Internet at www.pc.gc.ca under Media Room.)

Contacts:
Office of the Minister of the Environment
Frederic Baril
Press Secretary
819-997-1441

Media Relations
National Corporate Communications Branch
Parks Canada
819-994-3023

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