We recently received some thrilling news from UNESCO when it confirmed the designation of two new Global Geoparks in Canada.
UNESCO Global Geoparks are internationally significant areas that become living, working landscapes where science and local communities cooperate for mutual benefit. A designation is always an exciting event, especially for staff and communities, because it supports long-term sustainable economic development.
The two new Canadian sites—both in the Atlantic provinces—are the Cliffs of Fundy UNESCO Global Geopark in Nova Scotia and the Discovery UNESCO Global Geopark in Newfoundland. They join Stonehammer (New Brunswick), Tumbler Ridge (B.C.), and Percé (Quebec).
The Cliffs of Fundy is home to 165 km of scenic shoreline, the world’s highest tides, the oldest dinosaur fossils in Canada, and more than 40 geosites containing evidence of Earth’s history. Discovery, located on the remote Bonavista Peninsula, offers visitors the chance to learn about the Ediacaran Period—a fascinating prehistoric era during which animal life first arose on Earth.
Protecting places and cultures in a changing world
All around the world, UNESCO Global Geoparks promote quality tourism infrastructure, educational programs, and conservation measures to showcase areas of exceptional geological significance. They are sustainable development communities that serve as proof that the natural environment and local economic development can thrive together.
Geoparks started sprouting up in the mid-1990s. In 2015 they became official UNESCO designations aimed at conserving and enhancing the value of areas of geological significance in terms of the Earth’s history. Their landscapes and seascapes tell the story of our planet’s past and may contain clues to its future.
Today’s growing network encourages international cooperation with a bottom-up approach to conservation, local community support, heritage promotion, and sustainable development.
All UNESCO Global Geoparks have four essential characteristics:
- Their geological heritage has international value.
- They have established management plans that provide for the social and economic needs of the local populations, protect the landscapes in which they live, and conserve their cultural identities.
- They promote sustainable local economic development, usually by attracting geotourism.
- They cooperate with local populations, regional and national networks, international partners, and other UNESCO Global Geoparks across borders, and contribute to peacebuilding.
Geoparks also promote local culture in various ways. In Canada, an important approach involves working with Indigenous partners to support reconciliation. By building and fostering respectful relationships with Indigenous communities, geoparks lay the groundwork for true collaboration and ensure meaningful participation in the reconciliation process.
Iconic sites with trails and tales
The Cliffs of Fundy and Discovery UNESCO Global Geoparks offer memorable, educational experiences for visitors of all ages and interests. Both are home to fascinating legends, trails, fossil sites, and more.
For example, at Discovery, the Devils’ Footprints have long intrigued visitors: imprints in the rocks resemble a cloven, hoof-shaped footprint, and local stories claim the footprints’ origins are supernatural. They say the tracks are impressions left where the Devil once danced.
Meanwhile, the Cliffs of Fundy offer an extraordinary landscape that tells an ancient story of continents colliding and ripping apart, prehistoric creatures and dinosaurs roaming the Earth. The park’s Indigenous legends also inspire the imagination. The Mi’kmaq were the park’s first geologists, using rocks for tools and ceremonies.
All UNESCO Global Geoparks protect geological, natural, and cultural heritage and harness it to help people understand and respond to pressing global issues, such as climate change. They participate in education, sustainable development, and conservation initiatives. The two latest additions to Canada’s network are a welcome and exciting development. We hope they will contribute to our understanding of the earth’s origins and the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
For further reading
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Environment
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Sustainable development
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Heritage