Scott Islands Marine National Wildlife Area

Scott Islands Marine National Wildlife Area is a National Wildlife Area off the northwestern tip of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. Covering an area of 11,570.65 km (7,189.67 mi), it is the second largest protected area in British Columbia after Offshore Pacific Seamounts and Vents Closure and is the largest national wildlife area in Canada.[2]

Scott Islands Marine National Wildlife Area
IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources)[1]
Location in British Columbia
LocationScott Islands, British Columbia
Nearest cityPort Hardy
Coordinates50°45′00″N 129°15′00″W
Area11,570.65 km2 (4,467.45 sq mi)
DesignationNational Wildlife Area
Designated2018
Governing bodyCanadian Wildlife Service
WebsiteScott Islands Marine NWA

Geography

The national wildlife area protects a large area of the Pacific Ocean and Queen Charlotte Sound surrounding Cape Scott and the Scott Islands. The islands themselves are already protected by the provincially-designated protected areas of Lanz and Cox Islands Provincial Park, Beresford Island Ecological Reserve, Sartine Island Ecological Reserve, and Anne Vallee Ecological Reserve.

Ecology

Flora

The waters surrounding the islands host kelp beds.[3]

Fauna

The Scott Islands provide critical breeding and nesting habitat for 40% of British Columbia's seabirds. Bird species of note include tufted puffin, short-tailed albatross, black-footed albatross, Cassin's auklet, rhinoceros auklet, common murre, marbled murrelet, ancient murrelet, pink-footed shearwater, sooty shearwater, and bald eagle.[2][3]

Resident mammal species include sea otter, northern sea lion, orca, humpback whale, and gray whale.[3]

See also

References
  1. "Scott Islands Marine National Wildlife Area". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  2. Canada, Environment and Climate Change (2011-03-24). "Scott Islands marine National Wildlife Area". aem. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  3. Environment, Ministry of. "Lanz and Cox Islands Provincial Park - BC Parks". bcparks.ca. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.