PROVINCE RELEASES 1998-99 PROGRESS REPORT ON PROTECTING REPRESENTATIVE AREAS

Environment and Resource Management Minister Lorne Scott today

released the government's 1998-99 progress report on wilderness area

designations to the provincial Representative Areas Network.



During the past year nearly 325,000 hectares (803,000 acres) were

added to the network, including the Wapawekka Hills and the Seager

Wheeler Lake representative area, covering 245,636 hectares (606,958

acres). This is in addition to the 1.3 million hectares (3.3 million

acres) included in the network in 1997-98.



"The Government of Saskatchewan is committed to completing its

identification and designation of ecologically important sites by the

end of the year 2000," Scott said. "This is an essential part of the

province's plan to sustain the health and diversity of the province's

environment and to preserve wilderness areas."



The Representative Areas Network includes a variety of ecologically

important land and water areas across the province. Areas are

identified to serve two main purposes:



as benchmarks against which other landscapes outside of the

network can be measured to help ensure the province's water, land

and natural resources are being managed sustainably, and



to preserve samples of the range of biological diversity found in

Saskatchewan.



"It is important to have areas available that can be used for

education and research purposes to ensure we are achieving these

goals," Scott said. "The province has already made significant

progress in preserving natural wilderness areas and is committed

to continuing its conservation efforts."



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For more information, contact:



Nancy Cherney

SERM

Regina

Phone: (306) 787-2796