Environmental Trends 2007

Ecosystems

Status of Grassland Habitats in the Southern Interior of B.C (2005)

Most grasslands in the southern interior of British Columbia were lost before 1990.

Data source: Grasslands Council of B.C., 2004 and Grasslands Council of B.C., 2007
Note: All ecosections had some grassland loss between 1990 and 2005, but those with less than two per cent were not displayed on this graph.

Grasslands are Canada’s most endangered ecosystem. In British Columbia:

  • Photo credit: Jared Hobbs
    About 15 per cent of grasslands in the southern interior (111,385 ha) were lost to development between the mid-1800s and 1990. Of this, about 11 per cent was lost to agriculture and 4 per cent to urbanization.

  • Another one per cent of grassland was lost between 1990 and 2005, mainly to agriculture, urbanization and acreages.

  • About 90 per cent of remaining grasslands are grazed and many grassland ecosystems have been degraded through overgrazing, recreational activities, and the presence of invasive plants.

  • About 8 per cent of remaining southern interior grasslands are now protected. The highest proportion of protected grasslands is in the Southern Okanagan Basin (20 per cent), the Fraser Basin (17 per cent); and the Okanagan Range and the Central Chilcotin Ranges (14 per cent).

For detailed information, including graph data, see In-Depth Report [pdf].

Next: Other key ecosystems in British Columbia >>