Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve is a

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is an intergovernmental scientific program, launched in 1971 by UNESCO, that aims to establish a scientific basis for the improvement of relationships between people and their environments. MAB's work enga ...

situated in Clayoquot Sound on the west coast of

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest by ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

. A diverse range of ecosystems exist within the biosphere reserve boundaries, including temperate coastal rainforest, ocean and rocky coastal shores. Nine of the large forested valleys remain untouched by logging or other industrial development. The area's

temperate rainforest Temperate rainforests are coniferous or broadleaf forests that occur in the temperate zone and receive heavy rain. Temperate rain forests occur in oceanic moist regions around the world: the Pacific temperate rain forests of North American P ...

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much lar ...

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the ...

s and alpine peaks provide habitats for a vast array of species, a significant number of which are endangered or rare. Given that development is increasingly resulting in the fragmentation of forest and alpine ecosystems and

loss of biodiversity Biodiversity loss includes the worldwide extinction of different species, as well as the local reduction or loss of species in a certain habitat, resulting in a loss of biological diversity. The latter phenomenon can be temporary or permanent, de ...

in coastal rainforests, this biosphere reserve provides a refuge and centre for the natural dispersion and re-establishment of species.

Ecological characteristics

The primary habitat of the Clayoquot Biosphere is temperate rainforest (Coastal Western Hemlock), covering 85% of the terrestrial component and extending to altitudes of about 900 m. The habitat is dominated by large trees including the Western Hemlock, Western Red Cedar,

Amabilis Fir ''Abies amabilis'', commonly known as the Pacific silver fir, is a fir native to the Pacific Northwest of North America, occurring in the Pacific Coast Ranges and the Cascade Range. It is also commonly referred to as the white fir, red fir, love ...

, Western Yellow Cedar,

Sitka Spruce ''Picea sitchensis'', the Sitka spruce, is a large, coniferous, evergreen tree growing to almost tall, with a trunk diameter at breast height that can exceed 5 m (16 ft). It is by far the largest species of spruce and the fifth-larg ...

, Pine,

Douglas Fir The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Oregon pine, and Columbian pine. There are thre ...

, Yew and Red Alder. There are approximately 300

vertebrate Vertebrates () comprise all animal taxon, taxa within the subphylum Vertebrata () (chordates with vertebral column, backbones), including all mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Vertebrates represent the overwhelming majority of the ...

species, including the

American black bear The American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), also called simply a black bear or sometimes a baribal, is a medium-sized bear endemic to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most widely distributed bear species. American black bea ...

(''Ursus americanus''),

cougar The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large cat native to the Americas. Its range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. I ...

(''Puma concolor couguar''),

American mink The American mink (''Neogale vison'') is a semiaquatic species of mustelid native to North America, though human intervention has expanded its range to many parts of Europe, Asia and South America. Because of range expansion, the American mink ...

(''Neovison vison'') and grey wolf (''Canis lupus''). The second common habitat covering 12% of the Clayoquot Sound above 900 m is temperate rainforest (Mountain Hemlock). Dominant trees include the Mountain Hemlock, Western Yellow Cedar and

. Fewer species are found at such a high altitude, but include some those of those found at lower altitudes. The marine component of the Clayoquot supports mud flats, beaches and estuaries. The reserve contains the largest cover of eelgrass on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Cetaceans such as

humpback whale The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh up to . The hum ...

s (''Megaptera novaeangliae''),

gray whale The gray whale (''Eschrichtius robustus''), also known as the grey whale,Britannica Micro.: v. IV, p. 693. gray back whale, Pacific gray whale, Korean gray whale, or California gray whale, is a baleen whale that migrates between feeding and bre ...

s (''Eschrichtius robustus''), orcas (''Orcinus orca''), and a variety of other whale, dolphin and porpoise species are common. Steller's (Eumetopias jubatus) and

California sea lion The California sea lion (''Zalophus californianus'') is a coastal eared seal native to western North America. It is one of six species of sea lions. Its natural habitat ranges from southeast Alaska to central Mexico, including the Gulf of C ...

s (''Zalophus californianus'') are also found in the reserve. Commercial aquaculture of native salmon species and introduced Atlantic salmon, oysters and scallops constitute significant economic activities.

Socio-economic characteristics

The permanent population amounts to about 5,000 people. At least one-third are Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations (of Aboriginal ancestry), whose traditional territories encompass the entire biosphere reserve. Since 2000, the local economy has shifted from being based on industrial forestry and fisheries towards a more ecologically sensitive approach informed by Nuu-chah-nulth cultural principles. The First Nations and provincial government are working together to develop small-scale alternatives built around a conservation economy.

Aquaculture Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. lotus ...

is well established. Because of the nature of the resources,

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism ...

and related services have been encouraged. They are developing rapidly along the coast, both in and between two towns accessible from the only road into the biosphere reserve. Seasonal visitors amount to about 1 million annually.

Protected areas

Protected areas located within the biosphere reserve include: * Clayoquot Arm Provincial Park * Clayoquot Plateau Provincial Park * Cleland Island Ecological Reserve * Dawley Passage Provincial Park * Epper Passage Provincial Park * Flores Island Marine Provincial Park * Gibson Marine Provincial Park * Hesquiat Lake Provincial Park * Hesquiat Peninsula Provincial Park *

Kennedy Lake Provincial Park Kennedy Lake Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada located on the SW side of Kennedy Lake, SE of Tofino, British Columbia Tofino ( ) is a town of approximately 2,516 residents on the west coast of Vancouver Islan ...

* Kennedy River Bog Provincial Park * Maquinna Marine Provincial Park * Megin River Ecological Reserve * Pacific Rim National Park Reserve (partially) * Strathcona Provincial Park (partially) *

Sulphur Passage Provincial Park Sulphur Passage Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, located in the central part of the Clayoquot Sound region of the West Coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. It is located around Obstruction Island t ...

Sydney Inlet Provincial Park Sydney Inlet Provincial Park is a provincial park in the Clayoquot Sound region of the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, located north of the settlement of Hot Springs Cove and northwest of the resort town of Tofino. Sydney ...

Tranquil Creek Provincial Park Tranquil Creek Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, located at the head of the Kennedy River, east of the head of Bedwell Sound on Vancouver Island. See also *Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve References

{{c ...

* Vargas Island Provincial Park * Wah-nuh-jus—Hilthoois Tribal Park

References

External links

Detailed map of Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve, 2009
{{British Columbia parks Biosphere reserves of Canada Protected areas of British Columbia