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Ontario to preserve area of forest the size of Uganda Jeremy Hance, mongabay.com July 31, 2008
The 56 million acres, or 222,000 square kilometers, is equal to the entirety of the U.S.'s roadless areas. However, while roadless areas in the U.S. cover 2 percent of the nation's total land mass, the amount designated under protection in Ontario is a staggering 43 percent of the province's total land mass. It is equal to the size of the U.S. state of Minnesota, or the country of Uganda, if you prefer.
Scientists estimate the entire boreal forest—stretching across Canada, Northern Europe, and Russia—is the world's largest carbon sinkhole, storing 186 billion tons of carbon. Premier of Ontario, Dalton McGinty, noted that the area preserved would store 12.5 million tons by itself. In a press conference making the announcement, McGinty stated that the preserve is currently "unspoiled and undisturbed, and if there's one thing we know for sure, it's not going to stay that way forever unless we do something." Canada is facing increased pressure for mining, logging, and gas exploitation, due to rising demand from developing nations, while demand has not slowed in the developed world. "We need to plan for that development," McGuinty said. "We will only get one chance to get this right."
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