Gwaii Haanas

In 1993 the Government of Canada and the Council of the Haida Nation entered into a unique arrangement to manage Gwaii Haanas, a cultural and natural wonder of Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands). For millennia this place, where the sea and islands meet, has nourished the Haida people and provided all of the essential ingredients for sustenance and growth. The surrounding waters are rich with marine life and even host the spring migration route of the grey whales passing by on their way to summer feeding grounds in the Bering Sea. It is a place of spiritual and environmental significance.

The Gwaii Haanas National Marine Conservation Area Reserve and Haida Heritage Site was established on June 17, 2010 which offers a degree of protection to the waters surrounding and to the culture and heritage of the Haida people. It is one of the few places on Earth that has protection from mountain top to sea bottom.