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Paradise Won: The Struggle to Create Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve
Originally published in 1990, Paradise Won has been updated and details the epic 12-year struggle to stop logging in the unique global ecosystem referred to as “Canada’s Galapagos.”
Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve is located in the southernmost part of Haida Gwaii (formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands), 130 kilometres off the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Gwaii Haanas protects an archipelago of 138 islands in the territory of the Haida people, who have lived in Haida Gwaii for well over 14,000 years.
From the 1970s through the early 1980s, plans to expand logging in the area led to the first concerted efforts to protect Gwaii Haanas and – in 1985 – the Haida Nation created the “Haida Heritage Site.” In spite of efforts to protect the landscape, logging continued and resulted in a prolonged legal and political battle. In 1987, logging finally ended when the governments of Canada and British Columbia signed the South Moresby Memorandum of Understanding, which safeguarded the area and permitted shared stewardship, treating the unique marine and terrestrial environments as though they were a national park, though many land claims were still outstanding.
This updated edition of Paradise Won includes a new foreword by the author and will bring back into focus this remarkable story of the power and importance of Indigenous rights and how activism can spur average citizens to action in order to fight climate change and protect fragile ecosystems everywhere.
Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve is located in the southernmost part of Haida Gwaii (formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands), 130 kilometres off the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Gwaii Haanas protects an archipelago of 138 islands in the territory of the Haida people, who have lived in Haida Gwaii for well over 14,000 years.
From the 1970s through the early 1980s, plans to expand logging in the area led to the first concerted efforts to protect Gwaii Haanas and – in 1985 – the Haida Nation created the “Haida Heritage Site.” In spite of efforts to protect the landscape, logging continued and resulted in a prolonged legal and political battle. In 1987, logging finally ended when the governments of Canada and British Columbia signed the South Moresby Memorandum of Understanding, which safeguarded the area and permitted shared stewardship, treating the unique marine and terrestrial environments as though they were a national park, though many land claims were still outstanding.
This updated edition of Paradise Won includes a new foreword by the author and will bring back into focus this remarkable story of the power and importance of Indigenous rights and how activism can spur average citizens to action in order to fight climate change and protect fragile ecosystems everywhere.
- GenresCanada
336 pages, Paperback
Published October 27, 2020
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47 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth May
13 books20 followersElizabeth Evans May OC MP, is an American-born Canadian environmentalist, writer, activist, lawyer, and politician currently serving as leader of the Green Party of Canada and Member of Parliament for Saanich—Gulf Islands. She was the executive director of the Sierra Club of Canada from 1989 to 2006.
May became a Canadian citizen in 1978. She currently resides in Sidney, British Columbia with her daughter, Victoria Cate May Burton. She is studying theology at Saint Paul University, and describes herself as a practising Anglican.
May became a Canadian citizen in 1978. She currently resides in Sidney, British Columbia with her daughter, Victoria Cate May Burton. She is studying theology at Saint Paul University, and describes herself as a practising Anglican.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 11, 2023
I’d been thinking about what I should write in the review of this book for awhile. This summer I travelled to and from Haida Gwaii. So many beautiful people there. I wish this book could have captured better the essence of this magical place. I think the book focused too much on the court process of making Gwaii Haanas a National Park.
May 26, 2025
Interesting perspective on the fight in Ottawa for Gwaii Haanas; Elizabeth May is a good writer. Feels like it will complement resources that tell this story from Haida Gwaii.
June 18, 2022
I returned from Haida Gwaii a week ago. I wish I had read this book before I went. It’s so informative.
January 19, 2023
An incredibly detailed account of how Gwaii Haanas was won. This is from the perspective of Elizabeth May, one of the major players (if not THE major player) who succeeded in convincing the governments of Canada and BC to stop logging and turn the area into a National Park Reserve.
Not all the details were necessary, in my opinion, however this is a fantastic documentation of all the steps taken to achieve such a triumph. Perhaps we can use these strategies (and unshakable persistence) in our current endeavors to protect our environment. There is still hope.
Not all the details were necessary, in my opinion, however this is a fantastic documentation of all the steps taken to achieve such a triumph. Perhaps we can use these strategies (and unshakable persistence) in our current endeavors to protect our environment. There is still hope.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews