First Nation praises creation of new park to buffer Alberta national park
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Buffer zone included in UNESCO's 17 recommendations to preserve Wood Buffalo National Park
The Canadian Press · Posted: Mar 12, 2019 1:40 PM MT | Last Updated: March 12
An aerial view of Fort Chipewyan, Alta., on the boundary of Wood Buffalo National Park. First Nations say creating a new wildland park in northern Alberta will go a long way toward ensuring Indigenous people can keep up their traditional pursuits. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)
A new wildland park in northern Alberta will go a long way toward ensuring Indigenous people can keep up their traditional pursuits, a local First Nation said Tuesday.
"This is a strong environmental, ecological protection," said Melody Lepine of the Mikisew Cree First Nation. "It's really watershed focussed."
The Alberta government announced on Tuesday the creation of Kitaskino Nuwenene Wildland Park, a 1,600-square-kilometre park that links and expands two previously announced parks buffering Wood Buffalo National Park.
The park comes after three energy companies — Cenovus, Imperial Oil and Teck Resources — returned oilsands leases to the government.