Ontario's Natural Heritage Areas - Ministry of Natural Resources

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Biosphere Reserves are compatible with many human activities, where multiple use represents an attractive option for governments responsible for the management of natural assets in areas where strictly managed landscapes and waterscapes (e.g., National Parks) are unpopular (Taschereau, 1985) or logistically unattainable. Management includes provision for: • Mechanisms to manage human use and activities in the Buffer Zone(s). • A management policy or plan for the area designated as a Biosphere Reserve. • A designated authority or mechanism to implement the policy or plan. • The involvement and participation of public authorities, local communities, and private interests in the design and management of the Biosphere Reserve. • Programs for research, monitoring, education, and training (UNESCO, 1997). The Degree of Protection for Biosphere Reserves and the Corresponding IUCN Protected Area Management Strategy: A Preliminary Assessment Areas designated as Biosphere Reserves are protected under a range of legal mechanisms used by sponsoring jurisdictions. Biosphere Reserves can be classified into more than one IUCN category. For example, portions of the Long Point Biosphere Reserve are encompassed by a National Wildlife Area and a Provincial Park. Similarly, there are many different types of parks and protected areas within the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve. Given that Biosphere Reserves are designed as an integrated network of areas, there is merit in comparing each natural heritage area in the Biosphere Reserve with the IUCN protected area classification system. In addition, it is possible that the collective application of domestic protection mechanism(s) used to care for Biosphere Reserves could qualify these designations as IUCN Category V protected areas. Ontario’s Natural Heritage Areas 104 Key Contact(s) The World Heritage Centre UNESCO 7, place de Fontenoy 75352 Paris 07 SP France Téléphoné : 33-1-45 68 15 71 Fax : 33-1-45 68 55 70 Website: www.unesco.org/mab/BRs.shtml Information: mab@unesco.org Canadian Commission for UNESCO 350 Albert Street, P.O. Box 1047 Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5V8 Telephone: 613-566-4414 or 1-800-263-5588 Fax: 613-566-4405 Website: www.unesco.ca/en/activity/sciences/biospheres.aspx Canadian Biosphere Reserves Association (CBRA) c/o Parks Canada 25 Eddy St. Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0M5 Telephone: 819-994-2691 Fax: 819-997-0835 Website: www.biosphere-canada.ca/home.asp
4.4 World Heritage Sites Introduction The idea of creating an international movement for protecting world class heritage sites emerged after World War I. The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (World Heritage Convention) was created through the merging of two separate movements: protecting cultural and natural assets. At a 1965 White House Conference in Washington, D.C., delegates called for a ‘World Heritage Trust’ to stimulate international cooperation to protect “the world’s superb natural and scenic areas and historic sites for the present and the future of the entire world citizenry” (UNESCO, 2008:1). And in 1968, the IUCN developed a similar proposal for its member organizations. These proposals were presented to the 1972 United Nations Conference on Human Environment in Stockholm, and a single text was drafted and agreed upon by all parties concerned. The World Heritage Convention was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO on November 16, 1972. By regarding heritage as both cultural and natural, the World Heritage Convention reminds us of the ways in which people interact with nature, and of the fundamental need to preserve the balance between the two (UNESCO, 2008:1). The World Heritage Convention is an agreement that has been signed by 184 countries to date. Each signatory agrees to contribute the necessary financial and intellectual resources to protect World Heritage Sites – areas of outstanding universal value. Currently there are 851 World Heritage Sites (660 cultural, 166 natural, and 25 mixed sites) (UNESCO, 2007a). One of the 14 World Heritage Sites in Canada is located in Ontario (the Rideau Canal, Fig. 4-9) and a proposal for the designation of a second site (the Atikaki/Woodland Caribou/Accord First Nations Area) is being drafted (Box 4-6). Legislation and Policy Basis Each World Heritage Site falls under the sovereign control and legislation of the sponsoring jurisdiction. As stated in Article 4 of the World Heritage Convention, parties to the Convention must ensure the identification, protection, conservation, presentation, and transmission to future generations of the cultural and natural heritage situated in its Box 4-6. World Heritage Sites in Ontario. In 2007, the Rideau Canal became Ontario’s first World Heritage Site. Spanning 202 km from Ottawa south to Kingston Harbour on Lake Ontario, the Rideau Canal is the best preserved example of a slackwater canal in North America. Built in the 19th century the Rideau Canal has retained most of its original structure and is the only operational canal from that era (UNESCO, 2007c). Currently, the Atikaki/Woodland Caribou/Accord First Nations area in Ontario and Manitoba is being proposed as the Pimachiowin-Aki World Heritage Site (Lindsay, 2008; Parks Canada, 2004). This wilderness area will encompass up to four million ha of boreal forest. A working group comprised of representatives from First Nation communities and the Governments of Manitoba and Ontario plan to submit a proposal to UNESCO in 2011 (Lindsay, 2008). territory (UNESCO, 1972). In Canada, the National Parks Act is commonly used to protect World Heritage Sites. The Rideau Canal World Heritage Site is protected through the Historic Sites and Monument Act. Protection Goal and/or Objectives Image by P. Kor The goal of the World Heritage Convention is to properly identify, protect, conserve, and present the world’s cultural and natural heritage through the inclusion of sites on the World Heritage List. The World Heritage Convention: • Defines the type of cultural or natural sites which are to be considered. • Sets out the duties of a country in identification, protection, and preservation of the sites. 105 Ontario’s Natural Heritage Areas
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Page 55 and 56: Selection Criteria Candidate areas
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Page 67 and 68: Image by P.A. Gray • Natural Area
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