Banff National Park is one of the contiguous national mountain parks, including Jasper, Kootenay and Yoho, that were given the UNESCO World Heritage Site designation in 1984.
World Heritage defines heritage as "...our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration."
Since 1972, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has worked to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity.
