List of protected areas of British Columbia

Protected Lands & Waters in British Columbia


Distribution and location of protected areas in British Columbia (2006)

Statistics (2015)[1]
Type Area
Land Water
National Protected Areas 0.7% 2.2%
BC Parks 14.4% 0.9%
BC Conservation Lands 0.26% 0.07%
NGO Conservation Lands 0.1%

The following list of protected areas of British Columbia includes all federally and provincially protected areas within the Canadian province of British Columbia. As of 2015, approximately 15.46% of the province's land area and 3.17% of the province's waters are protected.[1]

International recognition

SG̱ang Gwaay in Haida Gwaii

Three UNESCO World Heritage Sites are entirely or partially located in British Columbia:

Two UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserves are in British Columbia:

  • Clayoquot Sound
  • Mount Arrowsmith

Federally protected areas

Parks Canada

Glacier National Park near Revelstoke

Seven National Parks of Canada are located in British Columbia, more than any other province or territory:

One National Marine Conservation Area of Canada is located in British Columbia:

There are numerous National Historic Sites of Canada in British Columbia, with 13 being operated by Parks Canada:

Gitwangak Battle Hill National Historic Site near Kitwanga

Canadian Wildlife Service

Alaksen National Wildlife Area in Delta

Six National Wildlife Areas of Canada are located in British Columbia:

  • Alaksen
  • Columbia
  • Qualicum
  • Scott Islands Marine
  • Vaseux-Bighorn
  • Widgeon Valley

Seven Migratory Bird Sanctuaries of Canada are located in British Columbia:

  • Christie Islet
  • Esquimalt Lagoon
  • George C. Reifel
  • Nechako River
  • Shoal Harbour
  • Vaseux Lake
  • Victoria Harbour

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Three Marine Protected Areas of Canada are located in British Columbia:

Three Marine Refuges of Canada are located in British Columbia:

  • Gwaxdlala/Nalaxdlala (Lull/Hoeya)[2]
  • Offshore Pacific Seamounts and Vents
  • Strait of Georgia and Howe Sound Glass Sponge Reef

Provincially protected areas

BC Parks

Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development

Cranberry Marsh/Starratt WMA, located just south of Valemount

The British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development (FLNRORD) manages a system of 31 Wildlife Management Areas throughout the province:

  • Bert Brink
  • Boundary Bay
  • Chilanko Marsh
  • Cluxewe
  • Columbia Wetlands
  • Coquitlam River
  • Cranberry Marsh/Starratt
  • Dewdrop-Rosseau Creek
  • East Side Columbia Lake
  • Green Mountain
  • Great Bear Rainforest
  • Hamling Lakes
  • Lhá:lt/Harrison-Chehalis
  • Lazo Marsh-North East Comox
  • McTaggart-Cowan/Nsək'łniw't
  • Midge Creek
  • Parksville-Qualicum Beach
  • Pemberton Wetlands
  • Pitt-Addington Marsh
  • Quatse Estuary
  • Roberts Bank
  • S'amunu
  • Serpentine
  • Skwelwil'em Squamish Estuary
  • South Arm Marshes
  • South Okanagan
  • Stellako River
  • Sturgeon Bank
  • Swan Lake
  • Todagin
  • Tofino Mudflats
  • Tranquille

See also

  • List of municipal and regional parks in British Columbia

References

  1. ^ a b "Protected Lands & Waters - Environmental Reporting BC". www.env.gov.bc.ca. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  2. ^ "Gwaxdlala/Nalaxdlala (Lull/Hoeya) marine refuge". Government of Canada. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  • BC Parks - A complete list of BC Parks managed land.