Justine Hunter’s article in the Globe and Mail highlights the unique species found in Southern Vancouver Island and how many are found nowhere else in the world, species that are in danger of becoming extinct. This is highlighted in the following passages from the article.
“The region of Southern Vancouver Island, where I live, supports more biological diversity than anywhere else in British Columbia – a province that in turn has the highest biodiversity in the country – but it also has the greatest number of species that could disappear forever. The average 10-kilometre-square piece of land in Victoria is home to at least one dozen plant and animal species at risk, including some that live nowhere else in the world.
Despite this, land for development is at a premium and nature is disappearing as the region expands. Even those temperate rainforests, sandy beaches, and flowering meadows that have been protected, are being loved to death by visitors. The consequences are potentially dire: When we wipe out a species, whether plant or animal, it is not only the loss of something unique – the biodiversity that humans depend on to survive is eroded.”
This highlights how important it is to ensure we preserve for future generations nature reserves within the South Island communities to prevent many of these species from going extinct.
