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Four First Nations and the governments of Manitoba and Ontario today announced establishment of the Pimachiowin-Aki non-profit corporation as part of their goal to achieve international recognition for lands east of Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 

The area under discussion is about 42,000 square kilometers. It includes the traditional territories of the Poplar River, Little Grand Rapids, Paunigassi and Pikangikum First Nation and includes Atikaki Provincial Park in Manitoba and Woodland Caribou Provincial Park in Ontario.

 

“The area would be protected as an Anishinabe cultural landscape. This will ensure that the Anishinabe who live there benefit from sustainable economic activities that support their survival as a people, increase their well-being and maintain the ecological health of the land,” said Chief Russell Lambert from Poplar River First Nation on behalf of the four First Nations.

 

Manitoba Conservation Minister, Stan Struthers, expressed Manitoba’s support for the initiative as part of his government’s commitment to communities on the East Side of Lake Winnipeg. “I am excited about the work of this partnership and appreciate the strong First Nations leadership. Gaining international recognition for this globally significant boreal forest will also generate jobs, tourism and suitable developments that will help all Canadians enjoy this area”, said Struthers.

 

“This is a precedent-setting agreement to work for the designation of an internationally important boreal area as a World Heritage Site,” said Ontario Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay.  “It will bring both economic benefits to remote First Nation communities and ensure the environmental protection of a tremendously valuable ecosystem.  Ontario is pleased to be a part of this effort and is working with Manitoba and four First Nations to leave a treasured legacy not just for Canada but for the world.”

 

The project has already generated considerable international interest since the site would fill an identified gap in the World Heritage Site system of protected areas, and because it proposes an innovative approach to land management that combines traditional Anishinabe and western scientific knowledge. The site combines natural and cultural features. It has exceptional ecological value with extensive undisturbed forests, lakes, and wetlands that reflect unique geological processes and represent critical habitat for several threatened or endangered species including woodland caribou, bald eagles and wolverines. The site also represents an outstanding example of traditional Aboriginal life based on a close and enduring relationship to the land. Archeological evidence in the area attests to over 6,000 years of habitation by the Anishinabe people.

 

The nomination process will take three to five years to complete and will produce important outcomes including community based land use plans, a network of linked protected areas and an innovative management system that combines western and indigenous knowledge. If this nomination is successful, Pimachiowin-Aki would be one of only a handful of sites on the World Heritage List that are recognized for both outstanding cultural and natural heritage values.

 

The UNESCO World Heritage List was established through an international effort to identify and protect sites of universally outstanding value so that they would survive for the benefit of all humanity. Joining the list of well known sites such as Pyramids of Giza, the Great Barrier Reef, the Taj Mahal and the Grand Canyon will take considerable effort but will have great reward.