Sam’s Travels to New Brunswick
Jay and Sam at the Stonehammer Geopark, New Brunswick
In early October, one of our Board Member’s, Jay Ritchlin, and I travelled coast to coast, landing in Saint John, New Brunswick in the unceded and traditional territory of the Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqiyik and Passamaquoddy peoples, for the annual gathering of the UNESCO Biosphere Regions in Canada. Having attended this conference last year in Waterton, Alberta, I looked forward to seeing familiar faces and connecting with the folks in this amazing network in a very different setting than last year. This year’s Canadian Biospheres Gathering also had a special twist to it, the UNESCO Geoparks of Canada gathered at the same time. Fun fact: there is a place where the Fundy Biosphere Region overlaps with the Stonehammer Geopark, and we went there!
Before we went there though, we had two days in Saint John full of rich conversations. Day one included presentations, panels and breakout discussions surrounding sustainability of our organizations, such as developing sustainable business models. Case studies were presented on Other Effective Conservation Measures in three Biospheres, including examples from Mount Arrowsmith of working with local municipalities to write management plans as part of the OECM recognition process. We also discussed Nature-Based Solutions and three Biospheres shared examples of this work in their regions, such as planting grass to combat erosion on Lake Erie.
Day two kicked off with a presentation from Zoe (CCUNESCO) and JP (CC-MAB) who had just attended the World Congress of Biosphere Reserves in Hangzhou, China which takes place every ten years. It was interesting and informative to hear from attendees of the World Congress and receive updates on the new strategy as well as the hope for election of two Canadian representatives to the UNESCO- Man in the Biosphere (MAB) Council which would add a voice for Canadian Biosphere Regions at the International level. Pam Shaw from Mount Arrowsmith also attended the World Congress and presented about the upcoming EuroMAB conference in September 2026 in Parksville which will bring people from Biospheres all around Europe and North America to BC. JP, Chair of the Canadian MAB Committee (CC-MAB), gave updates on their recent work and objectives moving forward. The collaboration between CCUNESCO, CC-MAB and CBRA shows how impressive this network of Biospheres is in Canada and the difference that can be made when united on common goals. Of course, funding is always a challenge for Biospheres, we were fortunate to have two representatives from Environment and Climate Change Canada with us the whole week in New Brunswick who presented and were around to ask questions to and chat with.
Day two continued with presentations and discussions surrounding working with municipalities and natural assets work. It is always really interesting to hear stories from other Biosphere Regions as there are often common experiences despite there often being differences in political context, landscape or type of work between regions. The last presentation of the day was from an aspiring Biosphere Region, Ville de Quebec. Quebec City may become Canada’s twentieth Biosphere Region and if it does, it will be the first BR in the country to be managed by a municipality, and to include a provincial capital within the boundary. This was a full conference day that inspired many thoughts around the value and role of Biosphere Regions, the idea of “working at the speed of trust”, and the essential role of community champions!
Day three was the field day which is always an exciting part of these gatherings. I really appreciate the opportunity to connect with the land and locals and have conversations in a more casual setting. It was pouring rain most of the day which was celebrated by the locals as it had been a very dry fall up to that point. We piled into the bus first thing in the morning and off we went, first stopping at the St. Martin Sea Caves, a popular tourist destination that is quite significant for its geology and falls within both a Biosphere and a Geopark! We were joined by folks from the New Brunswick Museum that provided a very educational talk on the geology of the area, as well as the owner of Bay of Fundy Adventures who provided a look into the tourism industry in this area. Next we drove through Fundy National Park, with the leaves changing colours all around us, it was beautiful. We were fortunate to hear from folks from Parks Canada and we took shelter in the old house of Molly Kool, the first licensed female sea captain in North America! Inside her old house, we were served hot tea and learned about Atlantic Salmon, who unlike Pacific Salmon, do not die when they spawn! Our lunch during the field day was also fun as it was lumberjack themed, we were given a bucket with a sandwich, coleslaw and a molasses cookie in it. This field day was well planned and the planners had to pivot because of the torrential downpour. Well done to all who helped organize this day, it was fun and educational!
On the fourth and final day of the conference, we were in Moncton, New Brunswick and the Geoparks and Biospheres were together for the whole day. The day started in a good way with a welcoming ceremony led by Elder Donna Augustine. We were also welcomed by Antonio Abreu, Director of the Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences at UNESCO, zooming in to say a few words. Throughout the day there were rich discussions and presentations surrounding Truth and Reconciliation in this work in general as well as in the context of sustainable tourism. As a settler, I was reminded and humbled throughout the day of the importance of going beyond a land acknowledgement, and what reconciliACTION means and actually looks like. It is a process to learn to unlearn. I was reminded as well that TRUTH is the first step, before reconciliation can begin. Beyond thanking and recognizing the past stewards of the land, there is a deeper recognition and understanding of their belonging to the land, the role of Indigenous peoples in the ecosystem and that our (settlers) ancestors came and changed the land so it couldn’t be used the same way anymore and displaced the people that were living there for thousands of years. I learnt so much on this fourth and final day of the conference and I left reflecting on the importance of admitting and thinking critically about the colonial context in Canada. Ken Paul spoke about how First Nations have such a strong sense of home, but often don’t feel welcome. He highlighted how racism is just under the surface in this country. That stayed with me.
Jay and I really appreciated the opportunity to attend this conference and are hugely grateful to all that welcomed us as well as to the Fundy Biosphere Region and the many volunteers that supported the planning and facilitation of this fantastic gathering. The work of Biosphere Regions would not be possible without volunteers!
Sam Wing, OECM Projects Manager, Howe Sound Biosphere Region Initiative Society
