UNESCO issues warning about Wood Buffalo National Park due to dams, development
An United Nations agency has issued a warning about the environmental health of Canada’s largest national park.
In a report released Friday, UNESCO says northern Alberta’s Wood Buffalo National Park is threatened by energy development, hydro dams and poor management. It warns that unless the area is better cared for, the park will be added to the list of World Heritage Sites in Danger.
The report acknowledges that the overall condition of the vast park — bigger than the Netherlands — remains good. But it concludes there’s no guarantee that will continue.
“There is long-standing, conceivable and consistent evidence of severe environmental and human health concerns based on both western science and local and indigenous knowledge,” the report says.