A five-year-long quest has finally paid off.
The Howe Sound area (Átl'ka7tsem) has been given worldwide recognition as an area of importance by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
On Sept. 15, the region was at long last recognized as Canada's 19th biosphere region by UNESCO, according to a news release from the Howe Sound Biosphere Region Initiative.
This means that the international organization has deemed this place a zone of global ecological significance.
For the head of the Howe Sound Biosphere Region Initiative Society, which was responsible for making this project a reality, it’s been a happy conclusion to years of hard work.
“It’s really gratifying and it’s almost surreal,” Ruth Simons told The Chief.
“Certainly, when we looked at the nomination documents, the blank template, it was quite daunting. And so it’s just really satisfying to know that all the great work that everybody collectively put in towards this project has been recognized by this prestigious international body.”
While this title does not create a park or grant any legal authority, the international designation does carry prestige and can be a point of leverage for environmental advocates.
Simons added that some people are under the impression that the UNESCO designation will mean another layer of bureaucracy in decision-making.
This, she said, is not true.
“It’s not a mechanism to stop development – it is a framework under which all the authorities come together and have a holistic plan,” said Simons.
The hope is that this designation will encourage sustainable development, she said.
“The biosphere regions actually are places for learning, for science, for research and restoration. And the more we know, the more we make better decisions,” Simons said.
“So I think for developers coming into the region that hopefully with the tools and more data and more information, then we make better decisions.”
This newfound title is not a given – it will have to be maintained. Locals must demonstrate to the organization every 10 years that the location is living up to the standards of a UNESCO biosphere, or Howe Sound will lose its status.
“I think the ultimate game plan is ... healthy clean air, healthy waters, healthy soil,” said Simons.
“The game plan is ultimately that we have [a] collective vision and plan and everybody putting their efforts towards ensuring that this is a healthy environment for people and keeps people connected to nature. That we really help stem the curve of biodiversity loss and stem the curve of impacts of climate change.”
The newly-designated biosphere region covers 218,723 hectares of land and sea, encompassing the entire Howe Sound watershed.
Its boundaries begin near Point Atkinson in West Vancouver, running north to Black Tusk near Whistler, and as far west as Gower Point on the Sunshine Coast.
The core protected area traverses five B.C. provincial parks, one B.C. provincial conservancy, and several marine refuges.
The region includes several iconic landmarks, such as Mount Garibaldi (Nch'ḵay̓), a diamond-shaped peak towering over the Squamish landscape. Within the last two decades, the area has seen a substantial recovery after more than a century of environmental degradation.
The news of the biosphere designation also earned praise from a Squamish Nation official involved in the biosphere effort.
“My hope is that it will effectively bring all communities in Átl'ka7tsem [Howe Sound] together for effective decision making but also to help people get out on the land. Building that connection, to the territory and the land, will help people better honour and to respect the environment but also the life that lives in that environment,” said Joyce Williams, Squamish Nation councillor and co-chair of Howe Sound Biosphere Region Initiative Society Board, in the news release.
“Átl'ka7tsem is really about beauty and hope, as much as it is about sustainable development.”
Gibsons Mayor Bill Beamish plans to attend a ceremony in West Vancouver on Sept. 18 to mark the designation.
“The town has supported this from the get-go through the Howe Sound Community Forum. Gibsons will now be able to advertise ourselves as the gateway to the Howe Sound Biosphere, which will be very exciting for us,” said Beamish.
– with files from Connie Jordison
