September 22, 2004

Conservation and management of mountain areas on the agenda at The Banff Centre

Ten years ago, Parks Canada commissioned an in-depth study of the management of its oldest and busiest property, Banff National Park. Designed to bring a variety of interested parties to the table, including conservationists, wardens, scientists, and tourism industry reps, the groundbreaking Banff Bow Valley Study set the course for the future of Park management in protecting wildlife corridors, setting criteria for development, and ensuring that a conservation element is included in tourism initiatives.

This week, a session titled "Ten Years After: The Banff Bow Valley Study" is included in the annual Mountain Communities Conference held at The Banff Centre. This year’s conference (Interdisciplinary Research and Management in Mountain Areas) brings together ecologists, biologists, anthropologists, specialists in tourism management, historians, and town planners to talk about co-operative methods for preserving the mountain environment and managing human impacts in the mountains.

Conference speakers will look at how to bring information from many disciplines and stakeholder groups into planning, policy-making, and management in mountain ecosystems. The conference integrates disciplines such as climatology, geomorphology, archaeology, history, anthropology, sociology, and ecology, through case studies of projects carried out in North and South America, Australia, Asia, Europe, and Africa.

Sessions include information on conservation of the grizzly bear in the Rocky Mountains, the environmental legacy of the 2002 G8 Summit in Kananaskis, land management and environmental change on the slopes of Mount Meru in Tanzania, ecological restoration along high-voltage transmission lines in Australia’s Snowy and Brindabella Ranges, mountain agriculture in Nepal, and co-operative environmental assessment in Montana, Alberta, and British Columbia.

Interdisciplinary Research and Management in Mountain Areas runs September 23 to 26, hosted by Mountain Culture at The Banff Centre and sponsored by Parks Canada and Natural Resources Canada.

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For detailed information and schedules for the Interdisciplinary Research and Management in Mountain Areas conference, see: www.banffcentre.ca/mountainculture/mtnconferences/irmma/

Media Contact:

Jill Sawyer Media & Communications Officer The Banff Centre 403.762.6475 Jill_Sawyer@banffcentre.ca

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Mountain Culture at The Banff Centre promotes understanding and appreciation of the world’s mountain places by creating opportunities for people to share — and find inspiration in — mountain experiences, ideas and challenges.