Wood Buffalo National Park (WBNP) was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983 for the park’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), including:
- One of the largest free-roaming, self-regulating bison herds in the world
- The only natural remaining nesting ground of the endangered whooping crane
- The biologically rich Peace-Athabasca Delta, one of the world’s largest inland freshwater deltas and a Ramsar-designated wetland of international importance
- Some of the finest examples of gypsum karst topography in North America.
- The most ecologically complete and largest example of the Great Plains–Boreal grassland ecosystem in North America.
In 2019 the Government of Canada launched the Action Plan to stabilize the OUV of WBNP. Parks Canada acts as the State Party for the Action Plan, partnering with the government of Alberta, British Columbia and Northwest Territories, 11 Indigenous partner nations, and BC Hydro. The Action Plan addresses seven key themes:
- Strengthening Indigenous Partnership with WBNP
- Environmental Assessment
- Conservation Area Connectivity
- Tailings Ponds Risk Assessment
- Environmental Flows and Hydrology
- Monitoring and Science
- Wildlife Habitat Conservation
In 2022, the Government of Canada committed $87 million to ensure the Action Plan’s successful implementation, an unparalleled investment in support of conservation action in a national park in Canada.
The funding announced under the Force of Nature strategy in March 2026 reaffirms the Government of Canada’s commitment to the Wood Buffalo National Park World Heritage Site Action Plan by providing $90 million over five years to continue the implementation of the Action Plan, and to support the recovery of two Wood Bison populations along the Alberta-Northwest Territories border.
Wood Buffalo National Park Field Station
Developed in collaboration with Mikisew Cree First Nation, Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, and Fort Chipewyan Métis Nation, the Field Station provides a year-round operational base for ecological monitoring and cultural-use activities by Indigenous communities, researchers, and Parks Canada staff.
The Field Station will serve as a hub for collaboration and knowledge sharing among Indigenous knowledge holders, researchers, youth, Elders and community members. It will support community-based monitoring programs and the Action Plan’s co-developed Integrated Research and Monitoring Program, which brings together Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science to assess cumulative effects in the Peace-Athabasca Delta and advance commitments under the Wood Buffalo National Park Action Plan.
The Field Station is a well-equipped, multi-use facility designed to support research, knowledge sharing, and education in the Peace-Athabasca Delta. It provides a valuable and accessible space for land users and learning groups to collaborate, with capacity for up to 50 overnight visitors across the cabins and tent camping accommodations.
The Field Station includes a field data preparation facility for sample processing and preliminary data analysis, allowing Indigenous Knowledge holders and researchers to work directly in the delta. A large hall and kitchen support group engagement sessions, educational activities, and multi-day culture camps, accommodating up to 80 daytime visitors. Outdoor facilities, including a fire pit and indoor communal spaces, support group discussions and educational programming.
This $10.7 million construction project was funded thorough the Wood Buffalo Action Plan to support Wood Buffalo National Park’s Integrated Research and Monitoring (IRMP), a co-developed program with Indigenous Partners to assess the health of the Peace-Athabasca Delta.
This Peace-Athabasca Delta is located in the traditional territory of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, Fort Chipewyan Métis Nation and Mikisew Cree First Nation. This vital wetland supports critical habitat for 45 mammal species, including the largest herd of free roaming of wood bison. It also lies at the crossroads of four major North American flyways, providing essential habitat for migratory waterfowl, and supporting a total of 214 species of birds.
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