Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, inscribed 2000, in Canada. The Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve is situated on Vancouver Island, on the west coast of British Columbia. A diverse range of ecosystems lies within the biosphere reserve boundaries, including temperate coastal rainforest, ocean and rocky coastal shores. 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. As development increasingly fragments forest and alpine ecosystems and reduces biodiversity in coastal rainforests, this biosphere reserve provides a refuge and a centre for the natural dispersion and re-establishment of species.