Ottawa, ON/Edmonton, AB – A new UNESCO World Heritage State of Conservation report on Wood Buffalo National Park, released publicly June 21, 2021, has found that “the previously-expressed Committee concerns continue to remain severe and the threats [to the park] have increased”. The report considers it likely that the property now meets the criteria for inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

The report, prepared for the upcoming World Heritage Committee meeting in July, also recommends that a second Reactive Monitoring mission be sent to Canada to conduct a comprehensive on-site investigation and confirm if the park meets the conditions to be given the ‘In Danger’ inscription. A first investigative mission was sent by UNESCO to Wood Buffalo in 2016.

“A second monitoring mission would seek to determine if things really are as bad as they seem,” says Gillian Chow-Fraser, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) Northern Alberta. “We anticipate they’ll find that the risks have increased not declined, which is why we agree with the assessment that the property meets the ‘In Danger’ criteria and support listing Wood Buffalo as a World Heritage Site in Danger.”

The Committee cites persistent threats from the construction of Site C dam in B.C., the major risks from leaking tailings ponds in Alberta, and the glaring absence of inter-jurisdictional water governance. Though the federal government released an Action Plan (2019) to try to change the trajectory of the park’s ecological health, Indigenous communities and environmental groups have consistently expressed concerns about the slow pace of implementation, the need for improved collaboration and partnership with Indigenous communities, and the need to focus on the larger critical pieces of the plan, which have not seen significant progress.

In December 2020, the federal government announced a $59.9 million investment over three years to support the implementation of the Action Plan, adding to a previous federal investment of $27.5 million announced in 2018. The Committee commended this investment but clarified that more adequate long-term funding would be needed beyond the next three years, in order to meaningfully address the threats to Wood Buffalo.

“While CPAWS welcomed the important investments that the federal government announced in December of 2020, many threats remain to be addressed,” says Sandra Schwartz, CPAWS National Executive Director. “Despite the scale and complexity of these threats, we remain hopeful.”

“We believe Canada has the capacity to tackle the problems head on if all levels of governments work together,” adds Schwartz. “An ‘In Danger’ listing would help bring international attention to the plight of the Park and keep the pressure, not just on the federal government, but also on the provinces that need to do more to improve the Park’s future.”

The World Heritage Committee – the governing body for implementation of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention – will decide whether to accept or amend these recommendations during their virtual meeting July 16-31, 2021.