Taking Nature's Pulse - Biodiversity BC

about the status this report of biodiversity in british columbiaIExamples of current conservation tools in British Columbia include protected areas, which cover more than14% of the province; conservation areas, including Wildlife Management Areas, Wildlife Habitat Areas and OldGrowth Management Areas; land management guidelines and regulations; private land conservation; and strategicland use plans, which include land use designations and resource management objectives. Governments,industry, conservation organizations and the public all participate in implementing these measures.How to Read the Status ReportThe Status Report is organized into four sections:• Section 1: A Primer on Biodiversity provides definitions and context for the discussionof biodiversity in British Columbia. It addresses three key questions: What is biodiversity? Why isbiodiversity important? What are the elements that characterize B.C.’s biodiversity?• Section 2: British Columbia’s Natural Legacy is the core of the report, summarizing the currentstatus of ecosystems, species and genetic diversity and key and special elements. It identifiesareas of overlap with the marine environment and with other jurisdictions.• Section 3: Threats to Biodiversity in British Columbia examines the factors that are currentlydriving the loss of biodiversity in British Columbia.• Section 4: Major Findings represents a synthesis of the assessment presented in Sections 2 and 3and serves as the foundation for the development and implementation of priorities and actions.References are cited by number (e.g., 3 ) and provided in order at the end of the document. Footnotes areindicated by letter (e.g., a ) and provided at the bottom of the relevant page. All glossary terms are highlighted ingreen when first used in the body of the text and defined in the glossary, which begins after Section 4. Scientificnames are given only with the first mention of a species within the body of the text.There are two types of maps in this report: full-page provincial maps taken from the Atlas, and smaller mapsfrom a variety of sources. The smaller maps are considered figures and are numbered sequentially as part of thelist of figures in the table of contents. The full-page Atlas maps are listed separately in the table of contents.For the Atlas maps that illustrate analyses, the analysis units are the result of an overlay of biogeoclimaticzones/subzones/variants, ecosections and third-order watersheds. There are 72,335 analysis units in the province,ranging in size from 1 to 1,530 ha.Tchaikazan River in southwestern B.C.photo: moira lemon.One of two varieties of satin flower(Olsynium douglasii) that occur in B.C.photo: liz williams.