The Region We Protect
The Islands Trust Area includes the islands and waters between the British Columbia mainland and southern Vancouver Island, including Howe Sound. The area is approximately 5,200 square kilometers in size and includes 13 major islands and over 450 smaller islands. This area is renowned and cherished for its stunning physical beauty, significant biodiversity, gentle climate, and unique scenic, rural, and marine character.
Islands Rich with Biodiversity
The dry Mediterranean like climate of Gulf Islands (in the Coastal Douglas-fir biogeoclimatic zone) make the islands and waters of this region an ideal home for diverse species and ecosystems. Approximately two million waterfowl from three continents and 20 countries migrate through the region annually. The forests, lakes, bluffs, meadows and oceans of the region are teeming with life. The Gulf Islands are home to some of the world’s last remaining Garry oak ecosystems and their rare plants, mosses, butterflies, insects, birds, reptiles and bats.
A handful of islands in Howe Sound fall into the Coastal Western Hemlock biogeoclimatic zone. This area is one of the wettest regions in the world. Here, mossy temperate rainforests reach to the ocean and evergreens grow as high as apartment buildings. Although few mature forests remain, these moist havens support many plant and animal species.
Unfortunately, this rich diversity is at risk. There are more than one hundred species at risk in the region, and many plants in the region are at the northern extreme of their range, and are not found elsewhere in Canada.
Vanishing Before Our Eyes
Massive population growth and development activity pose a serious threat to already fragile ecosystems and species at risk. A 2001 audit by the Canadian Wildlife Service found that, of the sensitive ecosystems on East Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands documented between 1991 and 1993, 11% had been disturbed in just 6-8 years. The statistics were even more alarming for several islands within the Islands Trust Area:
- Denman Island lost an average of 49.3% of its sensitive ecosystems. In the older second growth category, more than 65% of the habitat was lost.
- Sidney Island lost an average of 20.1% of its sensitive ecosystems, with a 100% loss of the island’s older forest.
- Galiano Island lost an average of 12.1% of its sensitive ecosystems.
The report states: “If the present rate of disturbance continues, all of the remaining natural sensitive ecosystems could be impacted within the next few decades.”
The situation is urgent, but if we act now there is still time to protect the irreplaceable natural wonders of this region. With your help, we can create a lasting natural legacy and ensure that the special places of the Islands Trust Area are protected for future generations. Please support our efforts in whatever way you can.
|
