Ministry of Environment Sensitive Ecosystems Inventories

Central Okanagan Sparsely Vegetated Ecosystems (SV)

• Shrub
• Talus
• Cliff
• Rock outcrop
• Status of sparsely vegetated ecosystems

Sparsely vegetated ecosystems in the study area occur in sites where rock or talus limited vegetation establishment. Vegetation cover is discontinuous, and interspersed with bedrock or blocks or rock.

Subtypes of Sparsely Vegetated Ecosystems

Sparsely vegetated ecosystems are divided into four subtypes: shrub, talus, cliff, and rock outcrop ecosystems.

Shrub Ecosystems (SV:sh)

Shrub ecosystems occur on small rock outcrops with cracks and crevices. They most commonly occur in a grassland matrix. These ecosystems are often steep with soils restricted to small pockets. Scattered shrubs grow in cracks and cliff ferns often grow in small crevices.

Talus Ecosystems (SV:ta)

Talus ecosystems occur on steep slopes covered with angular rock fragments, usually below rock outcrops or cliffs. Soil is restricted to small pockets between rock fragments. Vegetation usually includes scattered trees, shrubs and cliff ferns. Occasional grasses and forbs grow in soil pockets between rock fragments. Vegetation cover is higher on sites with smaller rock fragments where there is more soil.

Cliff Ecosystems (SV:cl)

Sparsely vegetated cliff ecosystems are steep, vertical cliffs, often found above talus ecosystems. Cliffs have minimal vegetation that is restricted to cracks and crevices, narrow ledges and small soils pockets. Shrubs typically occur in crevices and grasses and forbs occur in small soil pockets on ledges.

Rock Outcrop Ecosystems

Rock outcrop ecosystems occur on areas of exposed rock that have very little soil development and sparse vegetation cover. Vegetation cover typically consists of bunchgrasses, selaginella and scattered shrubs that are restricted to crevices and pockets of soil. These ecosystems are gently to steeply sloping, but are neither vertical (these are cliff ecosystems), nor dominated by shrubs (these are shrub ecosystems).

Status of Sparsely Vegetated Ecosystems

The SEI found that sparsely vegetated ecosystems covered only 3% (942 ha) of the study area land base. In the study area, rock outcrops and talus ecosystems were the most common ecosystem type (456 ha and 361 ha); cliffs and shrub sites were extremely uncommon (65 ha and 59 ha).

For more detail see the Technical Report.