The
Endangered Ecosystems Fund
of British Columbia
Wetlands
Wetlands are places characterized by seasonal or year-round water at or above the soil surface, or within the rooting zone of plants. They include bogs, fens, marshes, swamps and estuaries and are arguably the most biologically productive ecosystems in the world.
Grasslands and Savannas
Most people don’t think of rolling grasslands and open savannas when they think of BC, but in fact BC contains some of the most biologically diverse examples of these ecosystems anywhere in Canada.
Riparian Areas
Riparian plant communities occur on floodplains beside lakes, streams and rivers under particular soil and light conditions. Typically they occur as narrow strips, but they can vary from less than a meter wide to well over 100 meters wide near our largest rivers.
Garry Oak and Related Ecosystems
The Garry oak is the only oak tree native to British Columbia, and the only native oak in Canada found west of Manitoba. Garry oak ecosystems are amongst the least common and most endangered ecosystems in Canada and occur only in a small area that includes south eastern Vancouver Island, some of the southern Gulf Islands and two small sites in the Fraser Valley near Yale.
Old Growth Temperate Rainforest
Old growth temperate rainforests are British Columbia’s most iconic ecosystem; they are what the rest of Canada thinks about when they think of BC’s forests. Unfortunately, this status has not prevented severe over-harvesting and today some of the province’s temperate rainforest ecosystems retain only a very small amount of old growth.
An endowment fund at Vancouver Foundation that supports projects and activities that conserve wetlands, grasslands, old growth temperate rainforests, riparian areas, Garry oak communities and other endangered ecosystems in British Columbia, Canada.