About the Amazing Places Project
The Amazing Places Project connects people with nature in Canada’s UNESCO biosphere reserves and educates residents and visitors about the ecological significance of well-loved, publicly accessible outdoor spaces. The project was brought to BC through a collaboration between the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region and Parksville Qualicum Beach Tourism. All Amazing Places were nominated by the public.
What is an Amazing Place?
It may be a vista so powerful and majestic that it will literally take your breath away. Or, it may be a scene or a place that will simply cause you to take pause in order to soak it all in, a place where you can draw on a deep well of energy emanating from the serene beauty of the view. An amazing place can be different things to different people: mystical, magical, grandiose, bizarre, unique, breathtaking and awe-inspiring, or even a combination of all of these things. It certainly can tell a story.
Amazing Places in the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region are opportunities to educate and inspire visitors about their natural surroundings, and to create a connection that can quickly become powerful and deeply personal. They tell a story about stunning natural spaces in publicly accessible locations.
A CANADIAN UNESCO BIOSPHERE RESERVE INITIATIVE
Amazing Places is based on a mapping project launched by the Fundy Biosphere Reserve in New Brunswick. It began with the desire to guide visitors beyond the national park boundaries, and especially promote hiking on the Fundy Footpath. Through the support of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and Mountain Equipment Co-op, three biosphere reserves in Ontario have launched an Amazing Places pilot project, which will highlight the biosphere regions’ unique environmental and cultural significance.
Parksville Qualicum Beach Tourism received funding from Destination BC to partner with the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region (MABR) to launch the Amazing Places in British Columbia. A community nomination process to select 10 Amazing Places in the MABR took place in September 2016. Following the do no harm model, Amazing Places are chosen in locations that can handle increased visitation without compromising what makes the place Amazing.
