Welcome to the Átl'ka7tsem / Howe Sound UNESCO Biosphere

and the Howe Sound Biosphere Region Initiative Society. We are a charitable organization focused on this beautiful and unique part of British Columbia. We formed in 2017 to bring recognition of this area to the global stage and to create a framework for holistic planning in this area of overlapping jurisdictions. The framework of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve program aligns with the common values, goals and vision of the people of this region. In 2021, we were designated by UNESCO, and today, our organization is responsible for the long-term sustainability of this designation. We do so by providing logistical support that builds collaboration and capacity among organizations working to ensure we maintain a fragile environmental recovery and a healthy future. Explore our website and learn more about our organization, our projects and how you can contribute.

UNESCO (United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) Biosphere Regions are areas of global ecological significance, that make an ongoing commitment to the United Nations to strive for sustainability. They are not parks, and they have no legal authority. They are places where people are inspired to find ways to live and work in harmony with nature. Read more here.

 
 
 
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Collaborating For A Sustainable
Átl'ka7tsem / Howe Sound

Imagine a Howe Sound where biodiversity is protected, people and companies benefit from a sustainable economy, and current and future residents and visitors are able to enjoy the region’s natural, cultural, and social resources.

Howe Sound, (known as Átl'ka7tsem, Nexwnéwu7ts, or Txwnéwu7ts in the Squamish Nation language) has the potential to be an outstanding model of sustainability and ecological health, providing a place for people to live, work, and play, now and in the future.

Together we can make it happen. Help us maintain a Howe Sound Biosphere Region. Join the dialogue. Share your vision for a sustainable Howe Sound. Read about our Nchu’ú7mut/Unity Plan, a land and marine use plan co-created with First Nations, multi-sectoral stakeholders, and local communities through a collaborative, participatory approach.