Biosphere designation hailed as positive move.

The hoped-for declaration of Georgian Bay as an UNESCO Biosphere Reserve is not expected to have any impacts on development in Parry Sound, and may even act as a persuasive tool to bring business into the area.

A group of people representing boaters, cottagers, First Nations and others has been working for the last several months to have the east coast of Georgian Bay designated as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Biosphere Reserve. The designation, if achieved, will be an international recognition of the unique ecological nature of the area.

There are about 10 designated reserves in Canada, including the Niagara Escarpment, the Thousand Islands and Long Point in Ontario.

"The biosphere designation has no regulatory power or authority other than persuasive," says Parry Sound Community Business and Development Centre (CBDC) tourism marketing director Jim Hanna. "From our perspective, we certainly hope developers see this as a greater opportunity to develop tourism opportunities in a biosphere reserve.

"There are relatively few of them in the world and to be globally recognized as an internationally significant region I would think would give a tourism development an additional marketing opportunity," he adds. "But municipalities retain all their autonomy in land-use planning issues."

He says all municipalities within the proposed region have written letters of support for the reserve concept after having concerns about regulatory authority assuaged. About 70 per cent of the area of the biosphere reserve is Crown property of the province. It occupies an area of land and water from Highway 69/400 to the east, the middle of Georgian Bay to take in several coastal islands and the Georgian Bay Archipelago from Port Severn to Key River. Developers may be inclined to bring the proposals to the biosphere board for its input, but it is not something that will be required, Hanna says.

"That may help them with the municipality or other people who may have a contrary view of their development," he says. "But the biosphere has no regulatory authority. That is a municipal, or in the case of huge area of land, a Crown issue."

Hanna says Parry Sound, which has a long-term plan for the development of its waterfront, is recognized as a commercial node.

"We know Parry Sound would like an accommodation/conference centre built on its waterfront. A business capable of building that kind of development has a choice of communities to build it in," says Hanna. "So why not build in a community that's part of a UNESCO designated biosphere? It adds another level of attraction for the community."

Parry Sound director of community development Iain Laing says the hope is the designation will have a positive impact on the community's economy.

"We're hopeful that once word gets out that we have this unique natural resource, people will want to see it and the town will be the portal to see it. There is a potential for tour groups that will set up that will show people the unique aspects of the area," he says.

A nomination form has gone to the UNESCO office in Paris and consideration is expected to take about a year.

"If and when this region is recognized as globally significant, it puts us in a club that is fairly exclusive," says Hanna. "This is recognition by the United Nations that says this is an area that is deemed significant and that will help us market the area to tourists."

www.unesco.org

www.cbdc.parrysound.on.ca

By ANDREW WAREING

Northern Ontario Business