From the Outback to the Boreal - Australia's 'Indigenous Rangers' to Share New Land Stewardship Models with Canadians

LINK TO PHOTOS, TOUR ITINERARY <http://www.pewenvironment.org/news-room/other-resources/australias-aboriginal-stewardship-models-brought-to-canada-85899425462>

VANCOUVER, Oct. 28, 2012 /CNW/ - Canada and Australia are two nations whose indigenous communities are critical to the stewardship of vast, remote landscapes. Now Australia has developed and tested two world-leading models for culturally appropriate land stewardship, and a delegation from Down Under will bring those approaches to Canada.  

Members of Australia's "Indigenous Rangers" program, a ministry official from Parks Australia, and a member of Pew Environment Group in Australia will launch a nine-day tour Monday, Oct. 29, from Vancouver to Ottawa, including stops in Yellowknife and Winnipeg, where the visitors will exchange ideas with Aboriginal leaders and federal, provincial, and territorial officials about successful and culturally appropriate conservation programs.

The Indigenous Rangers program has received high praise for managing and protecting remote lands in Australia. It allows Aboriginal peoples to maintain their cultural responsibilities and address national environmental priorities while also providing for themselves and their families.  

Canada's boreal is the largest intact forest and the world's most significant source of carbon storage. Australia's Outback is one of the few places on Earth where nature remains vast, wild, abundant, and largely untouched by development, and Australia ranks first among all countries for its total number of native mammal and reptile species.  

AUSTRALIAN TEAM WILL BE IN VANCOUVER SUNDAY AND AVAILABLE TO MEDIA. MONDAY EVENT DETAILS BELOW  

WHERE:	Great Hall, Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia 6393 Northwest Marine Drive, Vancouver, BC  V6T 1Z1
WHEN:	Monday, October 29, 2012 - 7:00-10:00 pm
WHO:	(see web link above for full list of speakers) David Suzuki, award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster Art Sterritt, Executive Director, Coastal First Nation Ernie Gladstone, Superintendant of Gwaii Haanas, Parks Canada Australian delegation

The tour is hosted by the Canadian Boreal Initiative <http://www.borealcanada.ca>, a national convener for conservation and responsible development in Canada's Boreal Forest,  and the Pew Environment Group, a nongovernmental organization that works globally to establish pragmatic, science-based policies that protect our oceans, preserve our wildlands, and promote clean energy. www.PewEnvironment.org <http://www.PewEnvironment.org>

SOURCE: Canadian Boreal Initiative

Sean Durkan, 613-851-2151, [email protected]