A Starting Point for Conserving Biodiversity
Taking Nature's Pulse: The Status of Biodiversity in British Columbia provides a comprehensive, science-based assessment of the current condition of biodiversity in British Columbia.
These findings support the report's conclusion that British Columbia's biodiversity is globally significant because of its variety and integrity, but without immediate action is vulnerable to rapid deterioration, especially in light of climate change.
The 268-page report was prepared by Biodiversity BC, a partnership of governments and non-government conservation organizations created to improve biodiversity conservation in B.C. The report is available on the downloads page of Biodiversity B.C.'s website (www.biodiversitybc.org) together with two companion documents: The Biodiversity Atlas of British Columbia and Ecological Concepts, Principles and Applications to Conservation.
Taking Nature's Pulse considers threats to biodiversity due to human impacts following European contact. The report describes the status of terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity in the province as well as the overlap between the marine realm and both the freshwater and terrestrial realms. It does not, however, assess purely marine biodiversity, such as whales and marine phytoplankton, as this falls within the mandate of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
The report concludes with 23 major findings grouped under six themes:
• Ecosystem Diversity
• Species Diversity
• Genetic Diversity
• Key and Special Elements of Biodiversity
• Threats to Biodiversity
• Capacity and Knowledge
The Major Findings that make BC "special" can be found here
The Major Findings that threaten BC's biodiversity can be found here
To view Taking Nature's Pulse in HTML click here
Copyright 2007 Biodiversity BC