Earthroots Calls for Global Recognition of Temagami
The Temagami Region is home to nearly half of the world’s remaining old-growth red and white pine forests. Towering pines, glacial eskers, crystal-clear lakes, and rugged Precambrian rock formations define this awe-inspiring wilderness — a place where water flows from the highest elevations in Ontario through ten distinct river systems, connecting ecosystems, species, and communities.
But Temagami is far more than natural beauty. It is N’daki Menan — “Our Land” — to the Teme-Augama Anishnabai, who have lived in relationship with this land for over 5,000 years. Their ancestral canoe routes, still used ...
Earthroots Calls for Global Recognition of Temagami
The Temagami Region is home to nearly half of the world’s remaining old-growth red and white pine forests. Towering pines, glacial eskers, crystal-clear lakes, and rugged Precambrian rock formations define this awe-inspiring wilderness — a place where water flows from the highest elevations in Ontario through ten distinct river systems, connecting ecosystems, species, and communities.
But Temagami is far more than natural beauty. It is N’daki Menan — “Our Land” — to the Teme-Augama Anishnabai, who have lived in relationship with this land for over 5,000 years. Their ancestral canoe routes, still used today, form the oldest intact Indigenous water trail system in the world. The region holds one of the largest concentrations of rock art in Ontario, deeply spiritual pictographs that continue to carry meaning for the Anishinaabe people — from thunderbirds and canoes to powerful abstract symbols.
Temagami is where culture and nature are inseparable — where every ridge, lake, and portage tells a story of connection, survival, and sacred knowledge. The Temagami Wilderness Region meets the UNESCO criteria for outstanding universal value and belongs on Canada’s tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
At a time when old-growth forests are being lost globally and Indigenous rights remain under threat, adding the core area of the Wilderness Region of Temagami to Canada’s tentative list would be a powerful step toward honouring and protecting this irreplaceable cultural landscape. It would recognize the Temagami Wilderness Region as what it already is: a treasure of global significance — not just for Canada, but for all humanity.
Sign the petition to urge the Government of Canada to add the core area of the Wilderness Region of Temagami to its UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.
Because Temagami is not just worth protecting — it is worthy of the world’s recognition.
Add Your Name to Recognize the Global Significance of Temagami!
Temagami is one of Canada’s most extraordinary cultural and natural landscapes. Spanning 16,000 km² in Northeastern Ontario, it is home to the world’s largest remaining old-growth red and white pine forests, soaring ridges, glacial formations, and a remarkable network of interconnected lakes and rivers.
For over 5,000 years, the Teme-Augama Anishnabai have lived on this land, known as N’daki Menan, traveling a vast system of canoe routes that stands as the oldest known, still-used Indigenous water trail system on Earth. The region is also home to sacred pictographs, unique rock art, and powerful spiritual sites that continue to hold deep cultural meaning today.
Despite its undeniable significance, Temagami is not yet included on Canada’s tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage designation — a list of places that may one day be nominated for official World Heritage status.
Sign the petition to call on the Government of Canada to add Temagami to its UNESCO Tentative List and help recognize this iconic region’s cultural and ecological importance on the world stage.
Temagami deserves to be recognized for what it truly is — a place of outstanding universal value!