GROS MORNE, N.L. -- The UNESCO World Heritage Committee today issued a draft decision once again urging Canada to consider an industrial buffer zone for Gros Morne National Park in western Newfoundland.
It will vote on the issue in July when the committee meets in Turkey.
At stake is the park's UNESCO world heritage status, granted in 1987 for its spectacular cliffs, fjords and geological features.
The committee recommended a buffer zone in 2014 after an oil drilling and hydraulic fracturing proposal near Gros Morne set off intense public debate.
The province has not approved so-called fracking, and halted any applications while an independent panel -- set to report Tuesday -- reviewed impacts.
Parks Canada, in a report to the committee, says there are laws and regulations to safeguard Gros Morne without a buffer zone.
