Mealy Mountains Labrador site of Canada's newest park

The last wilderness area of Labrador has been transformed into a National Park. The designation will nearly double Labrador's protected areas.

Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador - Already under threat by mining interests and the Trans-Labrador Highway, environmental groups have been asking for the Mealy Mountain area to be protected by the government. Today, they got their wish, although there are still two more formal steps to be completed before the park is formally created. By acting to protect one of the largest areas in Labrador that does not contain roads, the 10,700 square kilometer (2.65 million acres) park will become the largest park in Eastern Canada. In a press release, Environment Minister Jim Prentice said

"As we enter into the International Year of Biodiversity, it is fitting that we are working to establish a national park reserve to protect this spectacular boreal landscape for all time, for all Canadians. This part of Labrador is not only of ecological significance, it is also of great cultural importance and we are committed to moving forward in a way that recognizes and respects the traditional connections people have with the land.”

The first step in protecting the land has been well received by the environmental movement, with praise coming from the Canadian Boreal Initiative (CBI). CBI's Executive Director Larry Innes said

"This is an outstanding boreal landscape with a rich and diverse ecological and cultural history. These parks represent an exceptional legacy for present and future generations. We are very pleased to recognize the achievement of the governments, the Aboriginal peoples and local organizations who came together to advance a common vision for the protection of this important region."

The American Pew Environmental Group also congratulated the Canadian government for taking the first step towards establishing the park. Pew's Director of Internatioal Boreal Conservation Campaign, Steve Kallick, said

"Congratulations to Prime Minister Harper and Premier Danny Williams. This is a great leap forward in efforts to complete the Canadian National Park system. Prime Minister Harper's leadership has been critical to the protection of Canada's boreal forest—considered by scientists to be a top global conservation priority.

"These new parks will draw tourists from around the world, conserve lands important to aboriginal Canadians and safeguard the habitat of the Mealy Mountains woodland caribou herd.

"Bigger than the United States' Yellowstone and Yosemite parks combined, the scale of this new protected area is remarkable. It will rival the largest protected areas in eastern North America, equal in size to New York's Adirondack State Park, twice the size of Everglades National Park and six times the size of Great Smoky Mountains National Park."

The government is also going to protect a nearby waterway by establishing the Eagle River Provincial Park. An important part of the initiative is ensuring that Aboriginal people living in the area continue to have access to the land in pursuit of traditional activities. The movement to protect the Mealy Mountain area has been ongoing since before 2001, when the government of Newfoundland and Labrador launched a feasibility study. Not only is the area home to a vast boreal forest, endangered caribou, moose, black bears as well as many other species live in the mountains.