THE GOOD PLACE
The Fundy Biosphere Region and Its Sustainable Future
This UNESCO-designated area of New Brunswick is a living laboratory where people work with nature towards a common goal.
By Kate Rae
With more than 442,000 hectares, the Fundy Biosphere Region appeals to nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts alike. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF FUNDY BIOSPHERE
Twice a day, the Bay of Fundy does something spectacular: The tide rises and falls by as much as 16 m, the highest swing in the world. The tide is wide, too. Mudflats stretching 15 km draw shorebirds such as the semipalmated sandpiper from the Arctic. They come each summer to fatten up on delicious delights like mud shrimp before catching a flight to South America. On land, the northern range of one forest type meets the southern range of another, resulting in more biodiversity in the trees and wilderness than in any other forest type in North America.
The upper Bay of Fundy coast, where the Fundy Biosphere Region spans more than 442,000 hectares, is so unique it hosts two distinct UNESCO designations: the Biosphere Region and the Stonehammer Global Geopark. The first designation recognizes the balance between human use and ecological conservation, while the Geopark designation notes geology of international significance. Together, the two designations frame the region as both a place that needs to be protected and researched.
Achieving that balance depends on how people visit, not just how many. Tourism is a major economic driver across Atlantic Canada, and Dr. Jennifer Dingman, the Fundy Biosphere Region’s executive director, counts on visitors treating the region as more than a backdrop. “We hope they walk gently on the Earth and leave no trace, and really engage more with longer-term experiential tourism rather than this kind of quick take-a-picture-leave kind of thing.” That means slowing down and spending time in the rural communities that surround these landscapes: “Stay longer, visit more, and really appreciate the place that we’re in.”
To help fulfil their mandate to educate visitors, Dingman and her team run the Amazing Places program. It’s a curated checklist of 50 sites chosen by the community and reachable mostly by hiking trails. Each has been selected for its ecology, its accessibility or its view. Some are familiar and almost famous, like Hopewell Rocks, Fundy National Park or the St. Martins Sea Caves. Others are hidden gems, such as the Prosser Ridge Lookout or Mill Creek Nature Park, an easily accessible municipal park.
Each site is marked with a smart sign that visitors can scan for maps, background and short videos. The program also has a companion podcast that digs into the ecology of the sites.
For Dingman, the payoff shows up in comments from locals and visitors alike. “When I hear from people that they just didn’t know how spectacular this area was, and that the Amazing Places helped them see some of that,” she says, that’s the program working its magic. CAA
The Amazing Places program guides visitors to the Fundy Biosphere’s top attractions and lesser-known gems. | PHOTO: COURTESY OF FUNDY BIOSPHERE
“We hope they walk gently on the Earth and leave no trace, and really engage more with longer-term experiential tourism rather than this kind of quick take-a-picture-leave kind of thing.”
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With more than 442,000 hectares, the Fundy Biosphere Region appeals to nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts alike. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF FUNDY BIOSPHERE
(From top) With more than 442,000 hectares, the Fundy Biosphere Region appeals to nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts alike. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF FUNDY BIOSPHERE
Twice a day, the Bay of Fundy does something spectacular: The tide rises and falls by as much as 16 m, the highest swing in the world. The tide is wide, too. Mudflats stretching 15 km draw shorebirds such as the semipalmated sandpiper from the Arctic. They come each summer to fatten up on delicious delights like mud shrimp before catching a flight to South America. On land, the northern range of one forest type meets the southern range of another, resulting in more biodiversity in the trees and wilderness than in any other forest type in North America.
The upper Bay of Fundy coast, where the Fundy Biosphere Region spans more than 442,000 hectares, is so unique it hosts two distinct UNESCO designations: the Biosphere Region and the Stonehammer Global Geopark. The first designation recognizes the balance between human use and ecological conservation, while the Geopark designation notes geology of international significance. Together, the two designations frame the region as both a place that needs to be protected and researched.
Achieving that balance depends on how people visit, not just how many. Tourism is a major economic driver across Atlantic Canada, and Dr. Jennifer Dingman, the Fundy Biosphere Region’s executive director, counts on visitors treating the region as more than a backdrop. “We hope they walk gently on the Earth and leave no trace, and really engage more with longer-term experiential tourism rather than this kind of quick take-a-picture-leave kind of thing.” That means slowing down and spending time in the rural communities that surround these landscapes: “Stay longer, visit more, and really appreciate the place that we’re in.”
To help fulfil their mandate to educate visitors, Dingman and her team run the Amazing Places program. It’s a curated checklist of 50 sites chosen by the community and reachable mostly by hiking trails. Each has been selected for its ecology, its accessibility or its view. Some are familiar and almost famous, like Hopewell Rocks, Fundy National Park or the St. Martins Sea Caves. Others are hidden gems, such as the Prosser Ridge Lookout or Mill Creek Nature Park, an easily accessible municipal park.
Each site is marked with a smart sign that visitors can scan for maps, background and short videos. The program also has a companion podcast that digs into the ecology of the sites.
For Dingman, the payoff shows up in comments from locals and visitors alike. “When I hear from people that they just didn’t know how spectacular this area was, and that the Amazing Places helped them see some of that,” she says, that’s the program working its magic. CAA