The fifteen year World Heritage nomination journey

The next section will be a case study of what’s referred to Pimachiowin Aki and it is a world heritage and basically takes about the fifteen years to reach for nomination status as the site in Canada. It’s just to give you a better indication here of the sites symbol. This is a turtle where aboriginal people in Canada refer to Canada or North America as turtle island. where aboriginal people in Canada refer to Canada or North America as turtle island. Pimachiowin Aki is near the center, near this area here. But what they have done, just a short representation of their beliefs, this humanity or people in the center and they’re surrounded by water, fish, animals, and crops, greens.

So that is the people sustaining the nature and wise for site. Now, you know Ojibwa which is a local language for the aboriginal band. One of the aboriginal groups into Pimachiowin Aki. It refers to Pimachiowin Aki as the land that gives life. That’s what it actually means. It’s located 250 kilometers northwest of Winnipeg which is the biggest urban center in central Canada. And the proposed project area is over 33000 square kilometres So it’s a very big geographic location. And it’s composed of three provincial parts and territory of four Anishinaabe bands. So again, different parts of physical, cultural at traditional contact as well.

In terms of the current site because we do have parks there and we could have indigenous bands as well. There are fully service tourist lodges, small hotels, and rugged campsites, such as ones that provide airstrips and hiking opportunities as well. You can access if your float planes, airstrips and winter roads for driving up from water back across lakes. And there are also fishing, hiking guides and tour operators to explore the site. So that is very much geared towards European or foreign tourists are not with some indication of indigenous cultural heritage as well.

In 2002, they are an accord with sign called

The Protected Areas and First Nation Resource Stewardship: A Cooperative Relationship Accord. It was signed between the bands, original five bands that were associated with the nomination of the site, the federal government and the provincial government of Manitoba to try and provide some sort of framework for action related to establishment of a world heritage nomination for that site. The main focus was on a shared vision for protecting and caring for the land and also maintain the resources in a sustainable basis for the local people for their survival and well being. So again and understanding at that point that the land sustained people, and wise for site. That was the nature culture approach that was being voted this perspective.

And in fact, they’ve done things here such as mapping out the land looking at the various aspects of the landscape, was represented here, to start formulating what that actually meant from a nomination standpoint, but also to indicate why the land was so important to the people and wise for site.

One of the things that they tried to do with the part of this process was the promotion of world heritage benefits. And one of the things that they had was that there are existing tourism activities there, but they wanted to demonstrate that having a world heritage nomination would increase tourism and visitors and subsequently economic benefits of the communities over their Pimachiowin Aki. This also means that there’s a need for visitor education programs and facilities, accommodations and food services.

So again revenue generating opportunities for the local community somewhere, Also more jobs for tour guides, fishing guys, artists and people to share and teach Anishinaabe culture whether was Anishinaabe people themselves in the region or Europeans or Canadians are others who are interested in findingout more about indigenous culture. This would also mean increased support and help from other organizations, governments, businesses, volunteers, and others to manage the site. Again, this is with the World heritage foundation and also for the prominence and the profile that it would obtain.

There’s hope that there would be greater protection and management and say or opportunities to participate in the way that the land is being managed and developed as it has a key issue when it comes to world heritage nomination in Canada with indigenous people. So there are a number of positive nomination drivers related to the site

the nomination group as well organized. There’s something called Pimachiowin Aki corporation. It has been well funded and supported by Canadian Manitoba governments as well as US foundations some like the few foundation based in northern United States. And there are also ways where they have a very strong leadership core through people called the Rabi Oscars and others within the national be banded in Pimachiowin Aki were able to help to lead and move the process forward. With regard to the side as well there’s a feeling that it was remote enough that some access can be controlled.

So it’s limited proximity to a large urban area like Winnipeg for example, is a good and a bad thing where it might prevent high volume of tourists coming to the site. But at the same time, without the pressure and demand about high volume of tourists they can direct them to where they would like to. They can control that access as well. The corporation is also received over sixteen million dollars in grants for the nomination as well. And the subset has received support news coverage across Canada of print electronic. They have their own Youtube channel They have various sort of visual documentaries that put out on the site.

it’s a very good communications management, leadership, and partnership strategy that they’ve evolved for the site as well. There are also a number of local and state issues. There have been a highly publicized reserve crisis within many aboriginal communities in Canada and also in the Manitoba as well. Their issues related to substance abuse, whether alcohol or new drugs, like meth or fentanyl. There are issues with that related to suicide and also other forms of unfortunate death on these reserves And it created a pretty hard situation for a number of bands that live there. And they are grasping hoping for the opportunity that world heritage nomination will give them a strong economic development opportunity again, that’s an issue.

For a number of these bands also be north and remote, there’s inconsistent supplies of potable water and energy. Again, it’s a very big concern in terms of if they want to build up infrastructure such as hotels, services or other sorts of infrastructure they need to have these kinds of resources and material on a consistent basis to sustain. And the tourism industry, more importantly the communities themselves. They received five bans that were part of the nomination process more than the Pikanggikum were upset over the way that the treaty rights for outlined in the nomination documents. They didn’t feel that they were properly portrayed because there are still some land use and some pretty matters that have to be resolved.

The band decided that they had the part of the nomination which in turn shrunk the size of the nomination as well by about a quarter because the fact that they needed to…We draw the boundaries for the proposed site. And finally on the periphery of the site as well there’s a hydro corridor an electrical corridor that was gonna be established on the western edge of the site which is right here in blue. And the concern was that this physical incursion but somehow affect the line quality migration of animals and other activities and again had sustained local peoples in that region.

So in terms of the same nomination process there are three tries. World heritage committee first off with some fair weather areas where is unique and requested more information from Canada. So this is in the week of the 2014 meeting in Doha And so as a result they had to rethink and reformulate in a matter that concurred with the ten criteria for outstanding is universal value and how that this site had those unique characteristics is a lot to be considered for or their certain combinations. And try No. 2. The site was referred during three years for partners to come to a consensus. This was in 2016.

So what happened was that with the removal of the pack and a command there are some unsure as to whether or not there’s enough structure, governance and solidity with individual partners were there and involved with the site. So as a result the UNESCO world heritage has to be decided at that time but there are some internal issues that need to be resolved. So recognizing that they appear to be a good candidate will allow them to stand back. We think we reframe their nomination and come back once the nomination documents once they felt that everybody to go forward heritage nomination. Finally, on try NO.3 the nomination was presented at the world heritage committee meeting in Bahrain in 2018.

This is here shows the different meaeting and leader So for obvious cause of the group those are part of the corporation to support the world heritage nomination. And in 2018 this year, they received a world heritage site nomination. So again, you saw a large site certainly lots of social issues, cultural issues and natural issues that are there. And UNESCO has been very accommodating in terms of the site itself. At the same time they’re try to think about the site in a matter that not only preserves it, maintains it but at the same time also helps to support and sustain tourism there.

And in a way that is reflective of the local culture and in a way that the people themselves experience and enjoy it whether it is being on the land seeing the different types of wildlife the different sorts of harvesting and crafting techniques to go on. Again, very much focused and specific to that site. But now that they have the nomination the challenge is there to try and see how they can develop tourism sustainably and the reflective of the culture. But at the same time it doesn’t impose itself upon the culture and the traditional ways in which they managed and used the site.