Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks

Brief synthesis Renowned for their scenic splendor, the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks are comprised of Banff, Jasper, Kootenay and Yoho national parks and Mount Robson, Mount Assiniboine and Hamber provincial parks. Together, they exemplify the outstanding physical features of the Rocky Mountain Biogeographical Province. Classic illustrations of glacial geological processes — including ice fields, remnant valley glaciers, canyons and exceptional examples of erosion and deposition — are found throughout the area. The Burgess Shale Cambrian fossil sites and nearby Precambrian sites contain important information about the earth’s evolution. Criterion (vii): The seven parks of the Canadian Rockies form a striking mountain landscape. With rugged mountain peaks, ice fields, and glaciers, alpine meadows, lakes, waterfalls, extensive karst cave systems, thermal springs and deeply incised canyons, the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks possess exceptional natural beauty, attracting millions of visitors annually. Criterion (viii): The Burgess Shale is one of the most significant fossil areas in the world. Exquisitely preserved fossils record a diverse, abundant marine community dominated by soft-bodied organisms. Originating soon after the rapid unfolding of animal life about 540 million years ago, the Burgess Shale fossils provide key evidence of the history and early evolution of most animal groups known today, and yield a more complete view of life in the sea than any other site for that time period. The seven parks of the Canadian Rockies are a classic representation of significant and on-going glacial processes along the continental divide on highly faulted, folded and uplifted sedimentary rocks. Integrity The Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks protect many of the outstanding scenic natural features, landscapes and views for which they are renowned. Spectacular mountain peaks, ice fields, glaciers, canyons, alpine meadows, lakes, waterfalls, karst-cave systems and thermal springs fully represent glacial features and landforms typical of the Rocky Mountain Biogeographical Province. The site encompasses the renowned Burgess Shale fossiliferous sites. The large size of the property (2,306,884 ha), its configuration (400 kms long and up to 100 kms wide), and the fact that over 95% of the area is legally or administratively maintained in a completely natural condition ensure that the outstanding features and views remain nested in an unaltered natural setting, buffered from development and activities on adjacent lands. Much of the property is surrounded by over one million hectares of adjacent parkland that is managed to similar standards. Glacier recession due to climate change is evident within the property. Protection and management requirements Management of each of the seven parks that make up the property is governed by an approved management plan, prepared in accordance with the standards and requirements of the agency responsible for that park, either Parks Canada or British Columbia Parks. The plans acknowledge the World Heritage inscription, and also their park’s role in protecting representative Rocky Mountain ecosystems and offering high quality wilderness visitor opportunities. Each of the management plans contains: a description of key features and values of the park; a long-term vision for the park and management objectives to be met; a set of management strategies that respond to current and predicted future stressors; and a zoning system that articulates acceptable land uses. The management plans are developed by their respective jurisdictions through planning processes that involve consultations with Indigenous groups, local governments, the public and other interested parties. They are periodically reviewed and updated. Banff, Jasper, Yoho and Kootenay National Parks collaborate on trans-boundary issues such as species-at-risk conservation, resource protection and restoration, and the provision of visitor opportunities. Neighbouring provincial and national parks within the property work together periodically to address issues of common interest, such as park access, wildlife and wildfire management. It is a stated management objective of all the parks that comprise the property to also work with surrounding jurisdictions that have management responsibilities in order to maintain the OUV of the property and the integrity of the ecosystems encompassed by it. Park management plans have identified a number of resource protection measures, such as environmental assessment processes, zoning, ecological integrity monitoring, as well as education programs, to address pressures on the property and raise public awareness. Developments approved for national transportation, for park administration and for visitor services are concentrated in less than 5 per cent of the property’s area, strictly regulated and limited by management plans, in order to minimize their impacts. Attention will be given over the long term to monitoring glacier melt that is evident within the property. Other effects of climate change, such as flooding and changes in wildfire frequency and patterns are addressed through management planning, monitoring and appropriate specific action as required.