Canada is setting aside 25.5 million acres of land, containing almost 77 per cent of its forest, for use as two new conservation areas. The two areas in the Northwest territories, 11.5 times the size of Yellowstone Park, will protect one of the world’s most ecologically sensitive areas. The East Arm of Great Slave Lake will become an 8.3-million-acre national park, while 15 million acres between the park and an existing wildlife refuge will be a conservation area managed by native groups. Further northwest, 3.7 million acres of land near the Mackenzie River will be designated a national wildlife area.