Manitoba adds 14,000 hectares to protected lands

Manitoba has declared another 14,000 hectares of land as protected natural habitats.

The three new areas are the Whitemouth Bog Ecological Reserve, Whitemouth Bog Wildlife Management Area, and Observation Point Wildlife Management Area.

Conservation Minister Stan Struthers said the protected areas will be free from any logging, mining, oil and gas and hydroelectric development anything that could harm the natural habitat.

But the rights of First Nations and aboriginal people to hunt, trap and fish in those protected areas will be respected.

Currently there are 81 wildlife management areas in Manitoba encompassing some 1.89 million hectares of habitat.There arealso 22 ecological reserves in Manitoba. Since 1999, approximately 869,000 hectares of land has been permanently protected in parks, wildlife management areas and ecological reserves.