Kluane National Park and Reserve

Lore & Background

Kluane National Park and Reserve lie within the traditional territories of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and Kluane First Nation, who have a long history of living in this region. Through their respective Final Agreements with the Canadian Government, they have made into law their rights to harvest in this region. The Reserve includes the highest mountain in Canada, Mount Logan (5,959 metres), part of the Saint Elias Mountains. Mountains and glaciers, including Donjek Glacier, dominate the park's landscape, covering 83% of its area. The rest of the land is forest and tundra, where the climate is colder and drier than in the western and southern parts. Trees grow only at the lowest elevations, primarily white spruce, balsam poplar and trembling aspen.

Reader's Guide

Kluane National Park and Reserve are significant as a protected area that balances conservation with Indigenous land rights. The park's creation involved a phased process: the Reserve was set aside in 1972 pending land claim settlements, and the eastern portion became a national park in 1993 after an agreement with the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations. The western section remains a Reserve, awaiting a final settlement with the Kluane First Nation. This co-operative management model with Parks Canada and First Nations is a key aspect of its legacy. The park is part of the bi-national Kluane-Wrangell-St. Elias-Glacier Bay-Tatshenshini-Alsek park system, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 for its spectacular glacier and icefield landscapes and habitat for grizzly bears, caribou, and Dall sheep. It hosts diverse fauna including Yukon wolf, bear, caribou, and over 120 bird species. Activities include hiking, rafting on the Alsek River, and fishing. The park was featured in a 2011 National Parks Project short film, and in August 2013, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. visited to see Mount Kennedy, named for his uncle.

Did You Know?

• The Reserve includes Mount Logan, the highest mountain in Canada at 5,959 metres.
• Mountains and glaciers cover 83% of the park's area.
• In a 2009 census, the Kluane herd had 181 northern mountain caribou.

Place Within Canada's World Heritage Portfolio

The UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972, created a global framework for recognizing places of outstanding cultural or natural importance. Canada formally accepted this convention on July 23, 1976, committing the nation to identifying and protecting sites that satisfy the international standards established by the World Heritage Committee. Since that foundational commitment, Canada has accumulated 22 inscribed World Heritage Sites, building a substantial portfolio on the global list. Kluane National Park and Reserve occupies a place within this broader collection of nationally significant locations. The convention defines natural heritage to encompass physical and biological formations, geological and physiographical formations, habitats of threatened species, and sites important for science, conservation, or natural beauty. Kluane's inclusion in this framework reflects its alignment with these categories of natural significance, standing alongside 21 other Canadian sites that have earned this same level of international recognition.

The Natural Heritage Criteria

UNESCO evaluates World Heritage nominations against ten distinct criteria, split evenly between cultural (i through vi) and natural (vii through x) categories. A site must satisfy at least one criterion to qualify for inscription. For natural sites like Kluane National Park and Reserve, the relevant standards fall within the vii-through-x range, encompassing natural beauty, geological significance, biological diversity, and scientific value. Of Canada's 22 World Heritage Sites, eleven are recognized specifically for their natural significance, while ten carry cultural designations. One site, Pimachiowin Aki, holds the distinction of being listed under both cultural and natural criteria simultaneously. Kluane's standing within the natural heritage category means its recognition rests on the physical and biological features, geological formations, or conservation importance that define the landscape. This places it in a group of eleven Canadian locations celebrated for the intrinsic qualities of their ecosystems and terrain rather than for human-made structures or historical narratives.

Canada's Committee Membership and Broader Context

Canada's engagement with the World Heritage system extends well beyond simply nominating sites for inscription. The country has served as a member of the World Heritage Committee on four separate occasions: 1976 through 1978, 1985 through 1991, 1995 through 2001, and 2005 through 2009. During these periods, Canadian representatives participated directly in the deliberations that determine which sites worldwide earn their place on the list. The committee's work began with its Second Session in Washington, D.C., in 1978, where the first two Canadian sites—L'Anse aux Meadows and Nahanni National Park Reserve—were added. The most recent additions, Tr'ondëk-Klondike and Anticosti, were inscribed in 2023. Two of Canada's 22 sites are shared with the United States, reflecting the transboundary nature of certain heritage landscapes. Kluane's recognition exists within this ongoing process of international evaluation spanning nearly five decades of Canadian participation.

The Tentative List and the Road to Nomination

Beyond the 22 sites already inscribed on the World Heritage List, Canada maintains a tentative list of 10 additional properties that it may consider for future nomination. This tentative list serves as a strict prerequisite: the World Heritage Committee will only accept a formal nomination if the site has previously appeared on the country's tentative list. This two-step process ensures that member states have thoroughly evaluated a site's significance before committing to the international nomination process. For Kluane National Park and Reserve, its presence within Canada's World Heritage portfolio represents the culmination of this structured pathway—from initial identification and tentative listing through to formal inscription under the convention's criteria. The tentative list mechanism also allows for the ongoing discovery and documentation of heritage values, ensuring that sites meeting the standards for natural or cultural significance can be brought to the committee's attention in a measured, well-prepared manner over time.