Canada celebrates the inscription of a new UNESCO World Heritage Site

Mistaken Point named Canada's 18^th World Heritage Site 

OTTAWA, July 17, 2016 /CNW/ - Mistaken Point in Newfoundland and Labrador has been inscribed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List. Minister of the Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Catherine McKenna, took the opportunity to welcome this heritage treasure into Canada's list of 18 World Heritage Sites that represent some of humanity's most outstanding achievements and nature's most inspiring creations.

The Government of Canada congratulates those involved in the nomination of Mistaken Point – a provincial ecological reserve and globally important fossil site located on Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador worked tirelessly with local communities and academic experts on the nomination of this site, which illustrates the earliest stages in the emergence of biological complexity on our planet.

World Heritage Sites are exceptional places around the world that are considered to have Outstanding Universal Value. The World Heritage Committee's decision to inscribe Mistaken Point on the prestigious World Heritage List will ensure that it is protected for the benefit of all humanity. The decision was made at the World Heritage Committee annual meeting in Istanbul, Turkey.

As we near the 150th anniversary of Confederation in 2017, the Government of Canada invites visitors to experience and learn more about Canada's natural and cultural heritage, including the country's 18 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Quotes

"I am delighted that Mistaken Point is now part of Canada's family of UNESCO World Heritage sites. This site has received the highest recognition of protected heritage places in the world. Congratulations to all those involved with the inscription of Mistaken Point. Canadians can be more proud to be home to 18 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including this new addition of great significance."

The Honourable Catherine McKenna
Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada

"Our province's natural heritage is recognized today on the international stage. The success of this inscription is the result of countless hours of hard work by the many staff and volunteers who are dedicated to the protection and preservation of the fossils at Mistaken Point. They are to be congratulated for their work."

The Honourable Perry Trimper
Minister of Environment and Conservation, Province of Newfoundland and Labrador

Quick Facts

• Mistaken Point is a globally-significant fossil site that contains 580 to 560 million years old fossils that are the first record of large, complex, multicellular, animal-like organisms – i.e. "when life got big" – a pivotal event in the evolution of life on Earth.
• The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador partnered with the Mistaken Point Ambassadors Inc. to nominate the site for this international recognition.
• Parks Canada manages one of the finest and most extensive systems of protected natural and cultural heritage areas in the world. The agency is the Government of Canada's representative for the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Twelve of Canada's 18 World Heritage Sites are areas managed in part or in whole by Parks Canada.

Backgrounder
Mistaken Point is an Ediacaran fossil site located on the southern tip of Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula. The vast majority of the nominated property falls entirely within Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve, a provincial protected area managed by Parks and Natural Areas Division (PNAD) of the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Environment and Conservation.

The fossils found at Mistaken Point date to the Middle Edicaran Period (580 to 560 million years ago) and represent the first appearance in the fossil record of large, complex, multicellular, animal-like organisms – i.e. "when life got big" – a pivotal event in the evolution of life on Earth.

Associated Links
UNESCO
Parks Canada

SOURCE Parks Canada

For further information: Caitlin Workman, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, 819-938-9436; Media Relations, Parks Canada Agency, 855-862-1812, [e-mail]