Grand Pré, Nova Scotia, an outstanding example of a traditional land-use that is representative of human interaction with a distinctive environment, has been presented for UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS) designation. One of Canada's most fertile agricultural landscapes, it is also an iconic memorial site for a people who overcame a tragedy of forced migration—the Acadian Deportation—in 1755, which has since become the lure for significant numbers of tourists to the region. Now facing a double threat of agriculture change and tourism decline, Grand Pré has high expectations from its recent WHS designation (2012) and the perceived tourism that it will bring. This concept paper discusses Grand Pré as a globally important agriculture heritage system and, in light of previous research, questions its expectations of WHS designation as a conduit for future economic viability and sustainability in the region.