Statement - Federal-Provincial-Territorial ministers' meeting conservation, wildlife and biodiversity

OTTAWA, Febr. 13, 2015 /CNW/ - "We met as ministers responsible for conservation, wildlife and biodiversity. Our conversations today are a significant step toward further collaboration on issues related to species at risk and invasive alien species, in accordance with each government's jurisdiction and priorities.

"We thank the Aboriginal representatives, conservation-oriented organizations, hunting and angling organizations, and sector stakeholders who shared their perspectives on conservation with us.

"We are committed to building on the long history of federal, provincial and territorial efforts to conserve biodiversity. We will seek out opportunities for intergovernmental collaboration, including sharing information and data, and we will continue to integrate biodiversity and ecosystem services considerations into decisions.

"We identified a need to advance stewardship and protection of species at risk with appropriate regard to social, economic and cultural considerations, by cooperating in several areas. We will work together on initiatives to protect selected species such as caribou and bats, and to establish a representative federal-provincial-territorial task force to support future collaborative efforts to fight against invasive alien species in Canada.

"We agreed to meet on an ongoing basis and to foster further cooperation between our jurisdictions on these issues and on other issues identified in the 2020 biodiversity goals and targets."

SOURCE Environment Canada

Ted Laking, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of the Environment, 819-997-1441; Media Relations, Environment Canada, 819-934-8008