Rediscovering Mayne Island’s Biodiversity
This year the Mayne Island Conservancy and Galiano Conservancy Association are coordinating an unprecedented inter-island BioBlitz enlisting more than thirty specialists in a survey of the biological diversity that surrounds us. Our surveys will target both land-based and marine ecosystems, adding to an existing baseline inventory of the local flora and fauna—plants, birds, mammals, insects, marine animals and more— that is important for informing conservation action, here amidst some of the rarest ecosystems in all of Canada.
As community members you can play a critical role in helping to support this effort.
More than 600 plant species have been historically reported for Mayne Island, based on records going back over a century to collections made by Albert J. Hill in 1895. Many of these plant species haven’t been seen on Mayne Island since. Given the intense impact of deer browse on the island, we can’t be certain those more vulnerable herbaceous species still persist locally. Despite the impacts of deer and other human developments, it’s also possible that there are rare species on Mayne Island that have historically been overlooked.
If you’re interested in helping to document Mayne Island’s flora and fauna in our BioBlitz, you don’t have to wait for our BioBlitz to get started! Just upload a photograph to iNaturalist and you’ll see your observation appear in the Mayne Island Biodiversity project. From April 21st to May 11th, any observations added to iNaturalist will count in the final tally of our BioBlitz!
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