Statement on UNESCO Report on Wood Buffalo National Park

Canada is not doing enough to protect Wood Buffalo National Park from environmental degradation putting Wood Buffalo’s UNESCO World Heritage Site designation at risk.

On Monday (June 21), the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) released a report on the state of conservation of properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. That report included an update on Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada’s largest National Park and a World Heritage Site. UNESCO is considering adding Wood Buffalo to its list of Heritage in Danger sites.

UNESCO’s report on Wood Buffalo National Park and its consideration of Heritage in Danger designation for the park is an embarrassment for Canada.

I am calling on Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change to immediately address the issues threatening Wood Buffalo National Park including:

• Following up on the 17 recommendations issued by UNESCO for environmental protection in the park that resulted from 2016 site inspections
• Ensuring the protection of the cross-boundary waters in the Peace Athabasca Delta
• Renewing water monitoring in the delta and the park
• Banning the release of tailings ponds’ effluent into the Peace and Athabasca watersheds
• Leading consultations with Indigenous leaders and communities on water use and monitoring
• Supporting the Peace Athabasca Delta proposal with federal dollars to ensure Indigenous-led oversight of environmental protections in Wood Buffalo National Park
• Fast-tracking a new water governance agreement with the provinces under the Canada Water Act
• And adopting new restrictions on water use that ensures that Indigenous communities have adequate supply.

The status of the World Heritage Site designation will be determined at the World Heritage Committee’s annual meeting, July 16-31.

Time is running out. The federal government’s responsibilities under the implementation of UNDRIP, the Canada Water Act, and the Species at Risk Act are clear. The Minister must act now to reassure the world that Canada takes environmental protection seriously and to address the environmental threats to one of the world’s most glorious places - Wood Buffalo National Park.