The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) is a national non-profit conservation group that works to protect Canada’s wild ecosystems in parks, wilderness and natural areas, preserving the full diversity of habitats and their species.

Founded in 1963, CPAWS has a national office in Ottawa, thirteen regional chapters, and over 20 000 members across the country.  CPAWS focuses on protecting large, connected areas of Canada’s wilderness, and in the past 50+ years, it has helped to protect over half a million square kilometres of Canada’s most treasured wild places. CPAWS’ vision is to protect at least half of Canada’s public land and water so that future generations can experience Canada’s irreplaceable wilderness.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Chapter of CPAWS (CPAWS-NL) was founded in 2003, with a goal of promoting the systematic establishment of new terrestrial and marine protected areas and to foster effective management of existing protected areas in Newfoundland and Labrador. For the benefit of present and future generations, CPAWS-NL envisions the establishment of a representative system of terrestrial and marine protected areas, which incorporates the ecological, social and economic values of local communities and recognizes the importance of protected areas as an essential part of natural resource management and planning.