Landmark World Heritage Site Announced in Canada

First Nations’ ancestral homeland of boreal forest and freshwater wetlands designated as culturally and naturally significant

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Projects: International Boreal Conservation Campaign
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Landmark World Heritage Site Announced in Canada

Pimachiowin Aki, the traditional land of four indigenous First Nations located in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario, is now recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s World Heritage Committee (UNESCO) as a World Heritage Site. The 7.2 million-acre (2.9 million-hectare) region contains the largest protected stretch of boreal forest on Earth, includes 5,600 freshwater lakes, and provides habitat for more than 40 species of mammals and 220 species of birds. The region also has campsites that have been used for thousands of years, centuries-old trap lines that are still maintained, pictographs, and ancient hunting and cooking tools.

More than a decade ago, the First Nations Bloodvein, Little Grand Rapids, Pauingassi, and Poplar River worked together to seek recognition of Pimachiowin Aki as a place of value for both its natural and cultural significance. Known for millennia as unique and sacred by the people who live there, UNESCO found Pimachiowin Aki worthy of protection for its “outstanding universal values.”

Here is a glimpse of the treasures of Pimachiowin Aki.

The Poplar River snakes through boreal forest in Manitoba, Canada, one of the last remaining pristine river areas in the world.
The Pew Charitable Trusts
A boat floats on the Poplar River in Manitoba, Canada, in the Pimachiowin Aki World Heritage Site. The indigenous people of this region worked for more than a decade to secure the UNESCO designation of the land that they and their ancestors have lived on for thousands of years.
The Pew Charitable Trusts
Pimachiowin Aki means “land that gives life” in the Ojibwe language. Although most of the designated area is permanently protected from industrial development, in large part due to indigenous communities committed to conserving their traditional territories, the UNESCO designation highlights the global significance of the broader boreal forest region that stretches from the Yukon to Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Pew Charitable Trusts
Pimachiowin Aki’s new designation will protect wetlands, forests, and habitat for future generations. Though Canada has eight cultural and 10 natural UNESCO sites, this is the first one acknowledged for contributions in both areas.
The Pew Charitable Trusts
Pimachiowin Aki is located in what would have been the center of an ancient glacial lake. Remnants can still be seen in the clear waters of Manitoba.
The Pew Charitable Trusts
The new Pimachiowin Aki World Heritage Site will protect 220 species of birds and more than 40 species of mammals.
The Pew Charitable Trusts