Daawuuxusda Conservancy

Highlights in this conservancy

The people of the Haida Nation have occupied and collected food and materials from the Daawuuxusda Conservancy area since time immemorial. There are seven known Haida villages and seasonal camps within the conservancy at Gasi’ndas, Kaidju, Skaito, Kaisun, Nest, Chaatl, and Sl’asit.

The remote location of Daawuuxusda Conservancy provides an excellent opportunity to maintain biological diversity and natural environment values. Of concern, though is the presence of introduced mammals (e.g., raccoons, Norway rats and black-tailed deer) which pose a threat to local ecosystems. Sowthistle, an invasive non-native plant, also occurs here.

Daawuuxusda Conservancy has an important role in providing recreational opportunities such as fishing, wildlife viewing, kayaking and other boat travel, anchorage locations and places suitable for wilderness camping and hiking in a remote wilderness setting.

The terrestrial component of the heritage site/conservancy covers 70,490 hectares and extends from the southern edge of Rennell Sound and Graham Island, along the western shores of Moresby Island to Tasu Sound. The elevation range is from sea level to 1,120 metres.

The marine component/foreshore area covers an area of 45,785 hectares. The marine environment is at the edge of the continental shelf and has high intertidal values with surfgrass habitat and eelgrass beds, kelp forest areas and nine estuaries that spill into some of the most productive marine habitat on Haida Gwaii.

Know before you go

Advisories

Review the detailed guides under visit responsibly for more information on staying safe and preserving our natural spaces.

Visit responsibly

Follow these guides to ensure your activities are safe, respectful, and ecologically friendly:

Maps and location

Getting there

Daawuuxusda Conservancy is located on the west-central coast of Haida Gwaii, 25 kilometres west of the communities of Queen Charlotte, Skidegate and Sandspit. It is part of an archipelago-wide system of protected areas that includes Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site, several provincial parks and ecological reserves, as well as ten other heritage sites and conservancies. In total, half of the land base of Haida Gwaii is now in protected status.

About this conservancy

Cultural Heritage

Seventeen recorded archaeological sites contain an impressive diversity of cultural items. These include culturally modified trees (CMTs), a ceremonial rock feature, a pictograph, cultural material, shell midden, human remains, a mortuary pole, habitation feature, fish bones inside a cave, a cultural depression, historical log cabin and house posts. Many of these areas have not been inventoried thoroughly which indicates that the heritage site/conservancy likely contains many other unrecorded cultural heritage and archaeological sites.

Of special significance are natural features within the coastal ecological communities of Sitka spruce – Pacific reedgrass as well as the limestone landscapes throughout the area that provide a unique substrate for uncommon plant species.

The cultural heritage values in the conservancy include opportunities for the ongoing continuance of Haida culture through traditional use of the area. Some examples of traditional use within Daawuuxusda Conservancy may include monumental cedar and cedar bark harvesting, seaweed harvesting, medicinal plant harvesting, hunting, fishing, trapping and food gathering. The heritage conservancy also provides a place for the physical expression of culture through monumental art such as totems or establishment of traditional style infrastructure such as longhouses.

Conservation

There is a tremendous diversity throughout the tidal and non-tidal waters. The conservancy contains nine estuaries that are home to important eelgrass and surfgrass habitat. The area northwest of Kindaken rock has been recognized by Fisheries and Oceans Canada as a unique marine ecosystem. Also, Daawuuxusda Conservancy contains four percent of Haida Gwaii’s fish-bearing waters. Freshwater streams such as Gudal, Cone Head and Jiinaanga are known to host coho salmon, chum salmon, pink salmon, sockeye salmon, Dolly Varden, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout and Steelhead.

Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples

BC Parks honours Indigenous Peoples’ connection to the land and respects the importance of their diverse teachings, traditions, and practices within these territories. This park webpage may not adequately represent the full history of this park and the connection of Indigenous Peoples to this land. We are working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples to update our websites so that they better reflect the history and cultures of these special places.

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