Pimachiowin Aki ('The Land That Gives Life') is home to millions of trees, hundreds of lakes, rivers and wetlands, over a thousand plant and animal species, and an ancient living culture that thrives today. It is the largest protected area in the North American boreal shield. 29,040 sq.km. of protected area in the heart of Canada. Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) for “the land that gives life,” Pimachiowin Aki is Canada’s first and only mixed World Heritage property, which recognizes both the natural and cultural significance of the site. As the largest protected area in the North American boreal shield, it’s comprised of the traditional lands of four Anishinaabeg communities, who have been the stewards for more than 7,000 years. Its geography of rivers, lakes and wetlands have been preserved for millennia through the cultural practice of Ji-ganawendamang Gidakiiminaan, or “keeping the land.” This guides the relations between the Anishinaabeg and the land, and includes practices like spiritual ceremonies and controlled burning of shoreline vegetation.
