Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area, and Haida Heritage Site, often called Gwaii Haanas, is located in the southern part of Haida Gwaii, which was formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands. It is 130 kilometers (81 miles) away from the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Gwaii Haanas protects a group of 138 islands. The largest island is Moresby Island, and the southernmost island is Kunghit Island. The name "Gwaii Haanas" means "Islands of Beauty" in X̱aayda kíl, a southern dialect of the Haida language.
The Haida Heritage Site is part of the land where the Haida people have lived for at least 14,000 years. According to Ḵ'aygang.nga, which is the Haida collection of oral stories, the Haida lived in Gwaii Haanas when the first trees arrived at Xaagyah Gwaay.yaay (Bolkus Islands) as glaciers moved away. Pollen samples show that trees first arrived there 14,500 years ago.
Many films have shown Gwaii Haanas, including the 2011 short film called National Parks Project. The film was directed by Scott Smith and included music by Sarah Harmer, Jim Guthrie, and Bry Webb.
History
From the 1970s through the early 1980s, plans to increase logging on Burnaby Island caused disagreements and led to the first organized efforts to protect Gwaii Haanas. A proposal called the "South Moresby Wilderness Proposal" was created to stop the use of natural resources.
To stop logging, the Haida Nation established the "Haida Heritage Site" in 1985. This area covered about one-third of the island and included both land and sea. However, logging continued, and legal and political disputes followed. In 1987, logging stopped after Canada and British Columbia signed the South Moresby Memorandum of Understanding.
This agreement led to the South Moresby Agreement in 1988, which created the South Moresby National Park Reserve. It was not a full national park because there were unresolved land ownership claims between federal and tribal governments. However, the agreement protected the area and allowed shared management. The reserve was managed like a national park until land claims were settled.
In 1993, the Government of Canada and the Council of the Haida Nation signed the Gwaii Haanas Agreement. This changed the name of the national park reserve to a name used by the Haida people. The agreement honored both Canadian and Haida interests and included a shared promise to protect Gwaii Haanas. Because the park reserve and the Haida Heritage Site cover similar land areas, the official name became "Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site."
Based on this agreement, Gwaii Haanas is managed together by the Archipelago Management Board (AMB). The AMB includes equal numbers of members from the Council of the Haida Nation and the Government of Canada. The AMB is responsible for planning, operating, and managing Gwaii Haanas.
Gwaii Haanas National Marine Conservation Area Reserve
For the Haida people, the land and ocean are connected and cannot be separated. On maps, there is a line between land and sea, but the Haida do not see it that way. The park reserve includes both land and sea, but the national park reserve only covers the land part of the area. The Gwaii Haanas Agreement allowed discussions between Indigenous groups and the federal government about managing the ocean part of the site. These talks led to the creation of a larger protected area in 2010. This marine reserve, like the national park reserve, is set aside for future use as part of a full park system, depending on legal agreements about land rights.
At the same time, the Gwaii Haanas National Marine Conservation Area Reserve will protect ocean ecosystems while allowing activities that are safe for the environment. This includes traditional harvesting, fishing for recreation, and commercial fishing.
The name "Haida Heritage Site" appears in both the national park reserve and the marine reserve, but it refers to different parts of the area. In the national park reserve name, it refers to the land. In the marine reserve name, it refers to the ocean. However, some parts of the heritage site—both on land and in the sea—are not included in either federal reserve. These areas are located in the northernmost parts of the site.
The Gwaii Haanas National Marine Conservation Area Reserve covers 3,400 square kilometers and is an important place where humpback whales (North Pacific population) feed. These whales are protected by Canada's Species at Risk Act (SARA).
With the marine reserve established, nearly 5,000 square kilometers of Gwaii Haanas are now protected. This area is one of the few places in the world where a full range of ecosystems—from mountain tops to the ocean floor—is protected.
The AMB's crest, designed by Haida artist Giits x aa, represents the shared management of the area. The AMB chose the sea otter and sea urchin for the crest because they are important to the history, culture, and environment of the protected area.
Sea urchins, which eat kelp, were once kept in balance by sea otters. This balance helped kelp forests and the animals that depend on them grow. However, during the Maritime Fur Trade, sea otters were removed from the area. Without sea otters, sea urchin numbers grew too large, harming kelp forests. The loss of sea otters shows how the disappearance of one species can harm an entire ecosystem.
World Heritage and National Historic Site Haida Village
Ninstints (Nan Sdins), also known as SG̱ang Gwaay Llnaagay on Anthony Island, is located in the southern part of Gwaii Haanas, just west of Kunghit Island. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a National Historic Site of Canada in 1981. The remains of a Haida village on the eastern side of the island—SG̱ang Gwaay Llnaagay—show what a traditional Northwest Coast First Nations village looked like. This site includes standing totem poles and the remains of cedar longhouses.
The Haida people stay at SG̱ang Gwaay and four other village sites from May to September as part of the Haida Gwaii Watchmen Program. Two to four Watchmen live at each site. They protect the natural and cultural heritage of these places.
Other historical villages in Gwaii Haanas include Cumshewa, Clew (Tanu), and Djí-gua.
In 2004, Parks Canada, on behalf of the Government of Canada, added all of Gwaii Haanas to its list of possible future World Heritage Sites. This action required approval from UNESCO.
Ecology
The landscapes of Gwaii Haanas include deep fjords, rugged mountains, streams where salmon lay their eggs, and areas of tundra near the top of the mountains. About 90% of Gwaii Haanas is covered by forests, 9% is alpine and sub-alpine tundra, and the remaining 1% includes lakes and wetlands.
Water from the highest mountains, such as the San Christoval Range, which has peaks over 1,100 meters (3,609 feet), flows down to fill more than 40 freshwater lakes. This water then flows through over 100 streams where salmon reproduce. The reserve also includes Hotspring Island, known as G̱andll K'in Gwaayaay in the Haida language, which has a hot spring.
A small community located in Rose Harbour on Kunghit Island lives on the only private land in the Southern Gwaii Haanas area. The community’s economy relies mainly on small ecotourism activities, such as offering lodging, meals, guides, and sea kayaking. The Rose Harbour property was once a major whaling station along the North Coast of British Columbia until the 1940s.
The western coast of Gwaii Haanas receives more than 4,000 millimeters (157.5 inches) of rain each year. Strong winds and heavy rain make the forests on the west coast wet and short, with trees like western red cedar and hemlock being most common. On the leeward (eastern) side, forests are typical of coastal temperate rainforests, with large western hemlock, Sitka spruce, and western red cedar trees forming the main canopy.
Over thousands of years, unique plants and animals have developed on the islands. Many species found here differ from those on the mainland. Some common species from the mainland are not present on the islands or have evolved into distinct types, such as the larger black bears. Other species, like Sitka deer, ermine, raccoons, squirrels, and beavers, were introduced more recently and now live in large numbers, which can harm native plants and animals.
Approximately 750,000 seabirds nest along the shoreline of Gwaii Haanas from May to August. Many of these birds, such as rhinoceros auklets, ancient murrelets, and tufted puffins, nest in burrows underground. Bald eagles are often seen nesting in trees along the coastline. Because the islands lie along the Pacific Flyway, many bird species stop here during spring and fall migrations.
Access
Gwaii Haanas is known for its clean and untouched environment and the ways it protects the area while using its resources. It is a remote place that can only be reached by sea kayak, boat, or a chartered floatplane. All visitors must attend an orientation before entering.
Gallery
- A tent set up in a forest area
- A canoe that is filled with items
- A tall wooden pole with carvings
- A scene seen from the surface of the water
- A view of the coast during sunset
- A beach covered with sand