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The world's largest and most devastating
世上最大、最具破壞性的
environmental and industrial project
環(huán)境及工業(yè)計劃
is situated in the heart
發(fā)生于
of the largest and most intact forest in the world,
世上最大、保存最完整的森林當中
Canada's boreal forest.
加拿大北方森林
It stretches right across northern Canada, in Labrador,
它橫跨加拿大北部的拉布拉多省
it's home to the largest remaining wild caribou herd
為現存最大的野生馴鹿群家園
in the world, the George River caribou herd,
喬治河馴鹿群
numbering approximately 400,000 animals.
數量大約40萬只
Unfortunately, when I was there I couldn't find one of them,
不幸的是 我前往當地時，并未見到任何一只
but you have the antlers as proof.
但有鹿角為證
All across the boreal, we're blessed with this
縱觀整個北方森林，我們幸運地擁有
incredible abundance of wetlands.
豐富的濕地資源
Wetlands globally are one of the most endangered ecosystems.
濕地是全球瀕臨最嚴重危機的生態(tài)系統之一
They're absolutely critical ecosystems,
它們是十分重要的生態(tài)系統
they clean air, they clean water,
它們能凈化空氣和水源
they sequester large amounts of greenhouse gases,
它們能吸收大量溫室氣體
and they're home to a huge diversity of species.
它們是許多物種的家園
In the boreal, they are also the home where
北方森林也是
almost 50 percent of the 800 bird species
北美所發(fā)現的800種鳥類中
found in North America migrate north to breed and raise their young.
半數為了撫育后代而北遷的鳥類家園
In Ontario, the boreal marches down south
在安大略省，北方森林向南延伸
to the north shore of Lake Superior.
直抵蘇必利爾湖北岸
And these incredibly beautiful boreal forests
這片美不勝收的北方森林
were the inspiration for some of the most famous art
是加拿大歷史中 某些著名藝術作品的靈感源泉
in Canadian history, the Group of Seven were very inspired
七人畫派深受
by this landscape,
這片景觀影響
and so the boreal is not just a really key part of our
因此，北方森林不僅是
natural heritage,
自然遺產的重要組成
but also an important part of our cultural heritage.
也是文化遺產的重要組成
In Manitoba, this is an image from the east side of Lake Winnipeg,
這是曼尼托巴省溫尼伯湖東岸景觀
and this is the home of the newly designated
它是聯合國教科文組織新列的
UNESCO Cultural Heritage site.
世界文化遺產
In Saskatchewan, as across all of the boreal,
橫跨北方森林的薩克其萬省
home to some of our most famous rivers,
擁有一些著名湖泊
an incredible network of rivers and lakes
形成令人嘆為觀止的河流及湖泊網絡
that every school-age child learns about,
這是每位學齡兒童都讀過的知識
the Peace, the Athabasca, the Churchill here, the Mackenzie,
和平河、阿薩帕斯卡爾河 丘吉爾河、馬更些河
and these networks were the historical routes
這些網絡是具有歷史意義的路線
for the voyageur and the coureur des bois,
對旅客和獵人來說
the first non-Aboriginal explorers of northern Canada
北加拿大第一位非原住民探險者
that, taking from the First Nations people,
仿效原住民的做法
used canoes and paddled to explore
使用獨木舟
for a trade route, a Northwest Passage for the fur trade.
探索貿易路線，即進行毛皮交易的西北航道
In the North, the boreal is bordered by the tundra,
北方是被凍土帶包圍的北方森林
and just below that, in Yukon,
位于下方的育空省
we have this incredible valley, the Tombstone Valley.
擁有這座壯觀的峽谷，墓碑谷
And the Tombstone Valley is home to the Porcupine caribou herd.
墓碑谷是豪豬馴鹿 （Porcupine caribou herd）的家園
Now you've probably heard about the Porcupine caribou herd
你或許聽說過，豪豬馴鹿的
in the context of its breeding ground
繁殖地
in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
位于北極國家野生動物保護區(qū)
Well, the wintering ground is also critical
事實上這片渡冬地亦十分重要
and it also is not protected,
卻未受到保護
and is potentially, could be potentially, exploited
它面臨一個潛在危機
for gas and mineral rights.
即天然氣和礦物的開采
The western border of the boreal in British Columbia
位于卑詩省的北方森林西部邊界
is marked by the Coast Mountains,
即海岸山脈
and on the other side of those mountains
這座山脈的另一側
is the greatest remaining temperate rainforest in the world,
是世上現存最大的溫帶雨林
the Great Bear Rainforest,
大熊雨林
and we'll discuss that in a few minutes in a bit more detail.
我們稍后會做詳細介紹
All across the boreal, it's home for a huge
縱觀整個北方森林，它是眾多
incredible range of indigenous peoples,
原住民族群薈萃之地
and a rich and varied culture.
擁有豐富多樣的文化
And I think that one of the reasons why
我認為大多族群
so many of these groups have retained a link to the past,
依然保有其固有文化的原因之一
know their native languages,
例如母語
the songs, the dances, the traditions,
歌曲、舞蹈、傳統
I think part of that reason is because of the remoteness,
我認為部分原因在于它地處偏遠
the span and the wilderness
幅員廣大且依舊保持原始面貌
of this almost 95 percent intact ecosystem.
在這片將近95%生態(tài)系統尚未遭受破壞的土地當中。
