Parks Canada wins conservation award; celebrates 100 years

The UNESCO World Heritage Centre would like to congratulate Parks Canada on its 100th anniversary, and for receiving the Gift to the Earth award from WWF.

The Gift to the Earth is WWF's highest accolade to applaud conservation work of outstanding merit. In recognizing a conservation action as a Gift to the Earth, WWF highlights both environmental leadership and inspiring conservation achievement which contributes to the protection of the living world.

The Gift to the Earth Award recognizes Parks Canada's conservation leadership, and its globally outstanding track record in creating new protected areas and in embracing precedent-setting Aboriginal participation, targeting terrestrial, marine and freshwater realms, and reintroducing endangered species.

When the Government of Canada ratified the World Heritage Convention in 1976, it designated Parks Canada as the State Party Representative for leading implementation of the Convention in the country. There are fifteen Canadian sites on the World Heritage List, ten of which are wholly or partially managed by Parks Canada.

For more information about Parks Canada: http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/index.aspx

For more information about the Gift to the Earth award: http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/how_we_work/gifts_to_the_earth/