Pimachiowin Aki
A UNESCO World Heritage Site in Canada's boreal forest.
Pimachiowin Aki (pronounced pih-MATCH-uh-win ah-KEE) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the boreal forest of Manitoba and Ontario. Covering over 29,000 square kilometres, it includes the ancestral territories of the Poplar River, Little Grand Rapids, Pauingassi, and Bloodvein First Nations, as well as Atikaki Provincial Park in Manitoba and Woodland Caribou Provincial Park in Ontario. In Ojibwe, the name translates to "land that gives life."
The push for the site began with the 2002 Protected Areas and First Nation Resource Stewardship Accord. According to the Pimachiowin Aki partnership, UNESCO designation brings several advantages: local pride in protecting a unique place, economic development and jobs, increased support from governments and organizations, and greater control over how the land is managed and preserved.
Government support came after Manitoba Hydro planned a major transmission line, Bipole III, through the area. Just before retiring, Premier Gary Doer pledged $10 million to a trust fund for a UNESCO site on the east side of Lake Winnipeg. The NDP argued that an east-side Bipole III route would threaten the site and that a heritage designation would better serve First Nations. They backed a longer, costlier western alternative to protect the east side’s environment.
In 2004, Parks Canada added the project to Canada’s tentative World Heritage list under criteria (v), (vii), (ix), and (x). The site was formally submitted in 2013. The World Heritage Committee deferred inscription, asking for improvements to the bid and noting structural issues with approving mixed sites. After revisions in 2016 that focused on the Ojibwe tradition of Ji-ganawendamang Gidakiiminaan (keeping the land), the committee was ready to inscribe it, but Canada requested a deferral when the Pikangikum First Nation withdrew support. Finally, in 2018, at its 42nd session in Manama, Bahrain, the committee inscribed the site with four of the five original First Nations participating.
Quick Facts
- Criteria
- (iii), (vi), (ix)
- Year
- 2018
- Area
- 2,904,000 ha
- Buffer Zone
- 3,592,000 ha
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The original proposal for Pimachiowin Aki began with the signing of the Protected Areas and First Nation Resource Stewardship Accord in 2002. In 2004, Parks Canada added the project to Canada’s tentative list of potential World Heritage Sites under criteria (v), (vii), (ix), and (x). The site was submitted for consideration in 2013, but the World Heritage Committee deferred inscription to allow improvements to the bid and to address structural problems in the nomination process for mixed sites.
Reader's Guide
Pimachiowin Aki represents a significant collaboration between First Nations and provincial governments to protect a vast expanse of boreal forest. The site's inscription process involved notable events: Manitoba Hydro initially planned a major hydro wire route (Bipole III) through the proposed area; Premier Gary Doer announced a $10 million donation to a trust fund for the UNESCO site just before retiring. The NDP argued that an east side Bipole III route would jeopardize the UNESCO site and that a heritage site would benefit First Nations communities more, leading to a longer, more expensive alternate line through western Manitoba. In 2016, after modifications focusing on the Ojibwe cultural tradition of Ji-ganawendamang Gidakiiminaan (keeping the land), the committee was set to inscribe the property, but Canada requested a deferral after Pikangikum First Nation withdrew support. The site was finally inscribed in 2018 at the 42nd session in Manama, Bahrain, with four of the five original First Nations participating. The partnership believes benefits include community pride, local economic development, employment opportunities, increased support from organizations and governments, and more say over land protection and management.
Did You Know?
- The name Pimachiowin Aki means 'land that gives life' in Ojibwe.
- Manitoba Hydro initially planned a major hydro wire route called Bipole III through the proposed area.
- The site was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2018 at the 42nd session in Manama, Bahrain.
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