Nanaimo group wants Salish Sea named World Heritage Site
NANAIMO — It’s now or never if we want to protect the Salish Sea for future generations.
That’s the view of the ‘Salish Sea Trust’, a Nanaimo group putting together a campaign to have the body of water classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Interim director Laurie Gourlay says the Salish Sea has great natural heritage and historical significance.
“We have a place that offers everything. There’s a need then to put measures in place so that it’s protected for all of humanity for all the generations into the future so that everyone can come and enjoy this,” says Gourlay.
The United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines World Heritage Sites as natural or man-made sites, areas, or structures recognized as being of outstanding international importance and therefore as deserving special protection.
There are 1,052 sites in the world. 18 of them are in Canada. The only one near the west coast is a village in the Haida Gwaii, which Gourlay says has received an interim-designation.