April 14, 1999
(Forest Resources and Agrifoods)

Intergovernmental Ecosystem Health Workshop breaks new ground in co-operative efforts

Kevin Aylward, Minister of Forest Resources and Agrifoods, would like to announce that the Department of Forest Resources and Agrifoods and Natural Resources Canada will co-host an intergovernmental workshop on ecosystem health. Minister Aylward will open the workshop, which is being held on April 15-16 at the Hotel Newfoundland. This workshop will bring together 15 federal and provincial departments and agencies which have a role in the management of our ecosystems.

The Department of Forest Resources and Agrifoods has an extremely broad mandate with responsibilities for managing our province's forest resources, wildlife and the conservation of biodiversity. The sustainable development of our biological resources requires that we maintain the health of the ecosystems that produce these resources and other essential services. The Department of Forest Resources and Agrifoods is taking a lead role in the emerging field of ecosystem health.

The department is implementing new strategies and initiatives to promote a more holistic and integrated approach in the delivery of the department's mandate. These strategies include the creation of an Ecosystem Health Division to provide a focus on our commitment to maintain the health of our ecosystems. The department has also been implementing an ecosystem management approach which includes seeking public participation in identifying values to be managed in the department's planning process.

These new initiatives and the shared responsibility to maintain the health of our ecosystems inherently requires multi-disciplinary and cross-sectoral cooperation among many jurisdictions. This workshop will be a starting point for greater cooperative efforts in ecosystem management and ecosystem health. It represents the first attempt to convene various jurisdictions and expertise to examine some of the challenges we face and provide recommendations for future directions.

Government recognizes that healthy communities depend on healthy economies, which depend on healthy ecosystems. As such, government has endorsed strategies and principles that guide policy and program development like the National Forest Strategy and the Canadian Biodiversity Strategy. The way we think about and manage our natural resources and ecosystems is changing. How we perceive the essence of our inter-relationship with our environment is evolving. Economic development of our resources must be managed within the context of ecological sustainability and the maintenance of the overall health of our ecosystems.

Dr. David Rapport, an internationally acclaimed leader in the field of ecosystem health, will address the workshop which will be attended by over 100 representatives from a broad spectrum of agencies and disciplines including senior staff from several departments of Memorial University. We are confident that this workshop will generate recommendations and forge alliances to move us forward in achieving our objectives.

Media contact: Cynthia Layden-Barron, (709) 729-6183

1999 04 14 4:05 p.m.