Blog

This week the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve, a collaborator of Coolearth, has done a guest post for our blog on the important work they do.  Together we want to bring awareness to the great beauty and vital importance of this UNESCO site.

Photo by: Kenton Otterbein
Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve (GBBR) is an area of 347,000 hectares that stretches 200 km along the eastern coast from Port Severn to the French River, in the world’s largest freshwater archipelago – known as the 30,000 Islands. The unique geography and geology of the area create more than 1,000 distinct habitat types which support a variety of rare species, including plants, mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians.
Photo by: Kenton Otterbein
Biosphere Reserves are important ecosystems that are internationally recognized by UNESCO, where communities pursue conservation of biodiversity and sustainable development. They are nominated by communities committed to balancing the needs of people and nature within a shared landscape. There are currently over 600 world biosphere reserves in 117 countries, with 16 in Canada.
Photo by: Aidan Tierney
Established in 1998, the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve Inc. (GBBR) is a non-profit community organization based in Parry Sound, Ontario. Its mission is to foster a shared responsibility for the Georgian Bay for the next seven generations, through conservation, education, and sustainable development. Coolearth Architecture has been a proud Biosphere Charter Member since 2012.

One role of GBBR is to help inform, educate, facilitate and provide leadership where it is needed. Once a program has been established, we explore ways to transfer leadership while maintaining an interest in the “big picture” of activities that support conservation and sustainable development in the region. The GBBR acts as a neutral forum for governments and civil society, and to mobilize the participation of organizations and committed individuals for a healthy community.
The organization is comprised of volunteers from various walks of life with a common purpose: to protect the ecosystems and livelihood opportunities of Georgian Bay for future generations through conservation, education and sustainable development. It is supported by project grants from all levels of government, donations, memberships and fundraising events – such as the annual Brew-Ha-Ha craft beer and comedy night on October 15, 2016.
For more information on the GBBR’s programs, or to become a member, please visit gbbr.ca (Coolearth is a happy Charter Member) Thank you!