Our Biosphere Goal
Our goal is to have Greater Victoria become a UNESCO Biosphere Region. The Greater Victoria NatureHood (GVNH) collaborative is beginning the process to nominate Greater Victoria as a Biosphere Region under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme (MaB). This process typically takes 3-5 years.
What is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve?
A UNESCO Biosphere Reserve is a formal designation and does not come with legislation or direct funding. However, the UNESCO name provides influence and indirect leverage to build out the needed research, funding and staffing capacity. It provides an international moral force for habitat conservation and an organizational framework to coordinate the social and economic initiatives of the several hundred local institutional, civil and corporate actors in the CRD.
UNESCO has recognized 759 Biosphere Reserves across 136 countries around the world. In Canada, we use the terminology Biosphere Region, and there are 19 of these regions, with 3 of them in British Columbia, those being Mount Arrowsmith, Clayoquot Sound, and Howe Sound.
Biosphere reserves are organized into 3 interrelated zones, with each one measured by human influence on nature from lowest to highest. At the centre is the Core Zone with the least human influence, then further out is the Buffer Zone, and the furthest is the Transition Zone.
Where is this proposed Biosphere Region?
The proposed Biosphere Region would encompass the Capital Regional District, which includes Greater Victoria area and its surroundings, and the Gulf Islands. Specifically, it would include the following areas:
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Victoria
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Saanich (North, Central, East and West)
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Esquimalt
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Oak Bay
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Colwood
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View Royal
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Highlands
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Sidney
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Langford
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Metchosin
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Sooke
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Gulf Islands
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Malahat Mountains
Why choose Greater Victoria?
Located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Greater Victoria is a prime location for a Biosphere Region, as currently ~25% of the area is protected, helping to establish the core zone of the Biosphere; there is a rich community cultural heritage; there are prominent universities as the base for research and education; GVNH can help build the necessary collaboration and has a deep commitment to working as allies with the local First Nations, and we have the support of like-minded businesses, environmental and civic NGOs and municipalities.
Surrounded by the Salish Sea, Greater Victoria features globally significant biological and cultural diversity. It boasts unique-in-Canada terrestrial and marine life, including Garry oak, coastal Douglas-fir, and ocean ecosystems that have been stewarded for thousands of years by the lәk̓ʷәŋәn, paaʔčiidʔatx,̣ Sc'ianew, T-Souke, and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples.
In the Capital Region, sustainable development within a healthy environment is well-supported. The connection to nature is consistently rated the best thing about living in and visiting Greater Victoria. Research, education and monitoring is available through four universities and colleges, over 80 schools, and hundreds of non-profit groups with strong commitments to reconciliation with First Nations.