VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 05/04/07 -- For the first time some of the world's top authorities on land use planning are coming together from 19 countries to explore ways to resolve some of the globe's most critical land use and resource management issues. The symposium will feature lessons learned from four of the world's most ecologically sensitive regions: British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest, Brazil's Amazon Basin, Africa's Congo Basin and Russia's Komi Model Forest.

Our Common Ground, Innovations in Land Use Decision-Making will take place at the University of British Columbia's Forest Sciences Centre, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC. Media registration is complimentary; reporters are asked to register onsite.

The international symposium concludes with the presentation of WWF's highest international conservation accolade, A Gift to the Earth, to participants in British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest agreement. The Gift to the Earth ceremony will take place in the Oceanview Suites at the Pan Pacific Hotel on Wednesday, May 9, from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m.

To schedule interviews with participants or obtain B-roll, contact Sandra Bishop at 604-312-8737.

Our Common Ground is hosted by the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Forestry, and is organized in association with WWF-Canada and Forestry Innovation Investment, an agency of the Government of British Columbia.

Contacts:
Our Common Ground
Sandra Bishop
Cell: (604) 312-8737
Website: www.ourcommonground.ca