Manitoba's Provincial Park System

The purposes of the Manitoba provincial park system include:

conservation of ecosystems and maintenance of biodiversity
preservation of unique and representative natural, cultural and heritage resources
provision of outdoor recreational and educational opportunities in a natural setting.

Clearcut logging in or near Nopiming Provincial Park, by Alice Chambers

Park Logging. Photo by Alice Chambers

Notably, Manitoba's Provincial Parks Act also allows resource extraction such as logging and mining within its parks, which does not fit within these three purposes. As of April 2009, Duck Mountain park will be the only park where industrial logging is still permitted. Please see Logging banned in Manitoba's parks.

New report: Traditional aboriginal knowledge key to Boreal Forest conservation

The report, Conservation Value of the North American Boreal Forest from an Ethnobotanical Perspective, describes the deep botanical and ecological knowledge that Canada's Aboriginal peoples have gained over thousands of years of using the Boreal Forest as grocery, pharmacy, school, and spiritual centre.