International designation
Fundy Cliffs newest UNESCO Global Geopark
HALIFAX — It's official.
The Cliffs of Fundy in Nova Scotia has been designated a UNESCO Global Geopark site by the United Nations organization.
"The Cliffs of Fundy Geopark society welcomes this opportunity with honour and humility and will cherish this moment now and into the future,” society president Don Fletcher said in a release.
Fletcher said the designation confirms that Fundy Cliffs geopark possesses internationally significant geological heritage and places the counties of Cumberland and Colchester on a well-deserved world stage.
“I'm convinced that with this designation, the Cliffs of Fundy will continue the hard work to bring together our Indigenous culture, our diverse communities and our partners worldwide to promote and build a sustainable geopark to be the best that we can be.”
The Cliffs of Fundy Geopark encompass dozens of designated sites stretching from Debert to the Three Sisters Cliffs, best viewed from land near the Eatonville dayuse park or Cape Chignecto Provincial Park.
The spectacular sea cliff vistas can be seen along a two-hour drive, primarily on Highway 2.
The Canadian Commission for UNESCO and Canadian Geoparks Network announced Friday that the Cliffs of Fundy and Discovery, in Newfoundland and Labrador, had been granted global geopark designations.
“We congratulate Discovery and Cliffs of Fundy UNESCO Global Geoparks on this tremendous achievement and we are proud to be adding these two new members to the Canadian Geoparks Network,” said John Calder, chairman of Canadian Geoparks.
“Our members invite Canadians and people from across the world to explore Canada's incredible geological heritage, natural and cultural diversity, and to reflect on how we have been shaped by the land since the First Peoples walked here. Having experienced firsthand the geological wonders of both new Geoparks, as well as the incredible warmth of their people, I am certain that memories of a lifetime await anyone lucky enough to explore them.” Geoparks are designated for their exceptional geological heritage.
Being designated a Geopark means having the ability to mobilize local stakeholders to preserve unique geological sites and educate visitors about them. Geoparks also play a leading role in fostering high quality, sustainable tourism and contributing to the vitality of local economies.
As inhabitants of the coasts of the Cliffs of Fundy geopark for more than 11,000 years, the Mi'kmaq were the area's first geologists.
With more than 40 geosites included in the Cliffs of Fundy geopark, visitors can discover the Earth's incredible natural history, the world's highest tides, Canada's oldest dinosaur fossils, and magnificent landscapes steeped in Mi'kmaq legends, tales and culture, Acadian traditions, and a dynamic arts and food culture.
The designation comes after years of hard work, meetings and setbacks by residents in both counties.
The Old Wife at Five Islands Provincial Park is one of numerous geological formations along the Fundy shore that makes the area so unique.
It is described on the Cliffs of Fundy Facebook site as being one of the “most striking” coastal vistas in Nova Scotia, and offers one of the best exposures of a monumental event in Earth's history – the breakup of the supercontinent Pangea 200 million years ago along with the birth of the modern continents and Atlantic Ocean.