The Manitoba government has released Places to Keep – Manitoba’s Protected Areas Strategy in order to protect the environment. The Provincial government also will designate a new protected area and the expansion of an existing area.
“Manitobans love their great lakes and wildlife, and we need to do all we can to protect the environment,” said Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Tom Nevakshonoff. “We want to ensure that a balance is struck between prosperous and healthy communities, and the protection of boreal ecosystems in partnership with northern communities and Indigenous people.”
In launching this plan, Manitoba is adding the Red Deer Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and an expansion to Lake Winnipegosis Salt Flats Ecological Reserve as protected areas, increasing the area of the province protected to now over 11 per cent.
The Lake Winnipegosis Salt Flats Ecological Reserve addition includes the only known example of a long inland saline shoreline in Manitoba and supports plant species otherwise found only along Hudson Bay.
Both sites provide habitat for threatened and endangered species. The designations will add approximately 94,000 hectares to Manitoba’s network of protected areas.
Places to Keep – Manitoba’s Protected Areas Strategy moves Manitoba closer to meeting the target of designating 15 more parks while protecting an additional 6 percent of the province, more ecological reserves, and expanding wildlife management areas or other protected areas by 2020.
source: Province of Manitoba Canada