Our
UNESCO
Story

Reserved only for those places of ‘universal cultural, historical, or scientific significance’, a UNESCO World Heritage designation is the most prestigious recognition a tourist site can receive. There are only 18 across all of Canada, and nothing happens overnight – it involves a tremendous community effort.

Discovery of the Fossil Beds

Hidden in plain sight, local hunters and nearby community residents had always had a vague awareness of the fossils at Mistaken Point – referring to them as ‘strange markings’ in the rock’. However, their true significance remained hidden until 1967, when Shiva Balak Misra and his field assistant Paul Thompson made a groundbreaking discovery while mapping Precambrian rocks along the coastline.

A Momentous Find

Misra and Thompson stumbled upon the fossil beds, immediately recognizing their immense importance. This discovery marked the first record of an Ediacara-type fauna in the Western Hemisphere – putting Mistaken Point on the scientific map.

The Fight for Preservation

By the mid-1980s, Mistaken Point had gained recognition as a crucial location, housing possibly the oldest metazoan fossils in North America and the world’s most ancient deep-water marine fossils. A dedicated group of passionate locals and academics lobbied tirelessly for the protection of Mistaken Point from fossil collectors and theft.

A five-kilometer coastal stretch was provisionally established as a reserve by the provincial government in 1984, solidifying its status in 1987 with permanent designation as a ‘Fossil Ecological Reserve’.

Stewards of Heritage

Mistaken Point Cape Race Heritage Inc, a not-for-profit organization established in 1998, has been a driving force behind Mistaken Point. Their mandate focuses on preserving, protecting, developing, and promoting the natural, historic, and cultural resources in the area.

Expansion to Protect New Discoveries

In 2003, a crucial extension was temporarily added to the west to encompass and protect newly discovered fossils. In 2009, Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve underwent further expansion to provide permanent protection for these remarkable new fossil sites.

Passing the Torch

In early 2013, Mistaken Point Ambassadors Incorporated (MPAI) assumed responsibility for the project proposal process from CRPCSHI. Their collaboration with the Department of Innovation, Business, and Rural Development (IBRD) and the Department of Environment and Conservation (ENVC) set the stage for securing the necessary funding to complete the bid application, aiming to have Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.