NLIS 4
April 10, 2000
(Forest Resources and Agrifoods)

The following statement was issued today by Kevin Aylward, Minister of Forest Resources and Agrifoods. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

Legacy Nature Trust Inauguration

This past Friday I had the pleasure to participate in the official launch of the Newfoundland and Labrador Legacy Nature Trust. The Legacy Nature Trust is a non-profit agency with a mandate to raise funds nationally and internationally to finance conservation projects in Newfoundland and Labrador.

This government has contributed $1 million in seed funding toward this worthwhile initiative.

The Legacy Nature Trust will work in the interest of conservation, taking a province wide approach to identify conservation priorities and projects. Included will be initiatives encompassing marine conservation, wilderness protection and education. The trust will then develop a marketing plan and undertake fund-raising campaigns with the goal of increasing overall funding for conservation initiatives in the province.

There are several conservation groups and environmental organizations throughout the province with a number of meaningful goals and objectives aimed at protecting and preserving our environment. The Legacy Nature Trust will not compete for funding with other conservation groups in the province, rather it will work with other groups to identify conservation priorities for the province and then seek to match those needs with sources of funding. The trust will focus on funding sources outside of this province, at both the national and international level. The Newfoundland and Labrador Legacy Nature Trust has been modeled, in part, after the Island Nature Trust in Prince Edward Island and the Nature Trust of British Columbia.

There are many groups and organizations across the country and throughout the world that provide funding for conservation initiatives. The Newfoundland and Labrador Legacy Nature Trust board members will be able to identify these sources and access the funding they have to offer.

Increasing funding for conservation and environmental organizations is important from a cultural, social and even a economic perspective. Perhaps more importantly, however, this trust will enable us to achieve the goal of conserving our legacy for our children and the world.

Government is proud to be involved with such a worthwhile endeavor which promotes the conservation of our natural resources. I am confident the Legacy Nature Trust will bring leadership and a province wide vision to conservation issues throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

2000 04 10                                                     2:25 p.m.