April 6, 2006 

Three experts in environmental planning will share international perspectives on the mountain pine beetle epidemic in Prince George next week.

The University of Northern BC’s School of Environmental Planning hosts its annual colloquium on Tuesday, April 11 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in room 7-152, where Ola Ullsten, Luisa Maffi and John Howard will put a global lens on what many Northern British Columbians consider to be a regional issue.

“This event is a unique opportunity to hear from people who have dealt with similar crises in other parts of the world," said Dr. David Connell, Assistant Professor in the School of Environmental Planning. “Collectively, these presenters promote a vision of environmental health that balances human wants with the need to sustain the earth’s life-support systems.”

The three speakers are internationally recognized leaders in their fields. Dr. Ullsten is a former Prime Minister of Sweden and former Swedish Ambassador to Canada. He is now Co-Chair of the World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development and a co-principal investigator on the Forest Capital Index project. Dr. Howard is a Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at the University of Western Ontario. He presently leads the Ecosystem Health initiative, which considers each patient as a marker of the health of the ecosystem. Dr. Maffi is President and CEO of Terralingua, an international organization promoting conservation of biological and cultural diversity. She is one of the originators of the concept of biocultural diversity, and has worked with a number of international organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund, UNESCO and the Smithsonian Institution.

The Environmental Planning colloquium is open to the public. It provides a forum for discussion of wide-ranging perspectives on environmental planning issues. Local and visiting scientists present research results and discussions about the relationship between people and the environment, and on reducing the environmental impact of human activities.

Contact: 

Dr. David Connell, School of Environmental Planning, UNBC – 250.960-5835