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Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve in British Columbia

Tuesday, 24 June 2025 - 11:00 am (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination: North America / Nordamerika
Category/Kategorie: General, Environment, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  3 minutes

🔊 Listen to this Post Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve situated in Clayoquot Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. A diverse range of ecosystems exist within the biosphere reserve boundaries, including temperate coastal rainforest, ocean and rocky coastal shores. The nearest city is Tofino.

Nine of the large forested valleys remain untouched by logging or other industrial development. The area’s temperate rainforest, lakes, rivers 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 in coastal rainforests, this biosphere reserve provides a refuge and centre for the natural dispersion and re-establishment of species.

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 River Bog Provincial Park
• Maquinna Marine Provincial Park and Protected Area
• Megin River Ecological Reserve
• Pacific Rim National Park Reserve (partially)
• Strathcona Provincial Park (partially)
• Sulphur Passage Provincial Park
• Sydney Inlet Provincial Park
• Tranquil Creek Provincial Park
• Vargas Island Provincial Park
• Wah-nuh-jus—Hilthoois Tribal Park

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 is well established.

Because of the nature of the resources, 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.

Read more on Clayoquot Biosphere Trust and Wikipedia Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Global Passport Power Rank - Travel Risk Map - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). Photos by Wikimedia Commons. If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.

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