Islands in the Stream
Richmond, British Columbia, is an island municipality comprised of 22 islands, the largest of which is Lulu Island. Lulu Island supports the develop section of Richmond, the Vancouver International Airport sits on Sea Island, and Iona Island supports a regional park.
Biodiversity of the islands is influenced by several factors, including their location in the mouth of the Fraser River, their location on the Pacific Flyway, latitudinal position, daily tides, and the large number of incoming (introduced) species that can become established. Habitat diversity in the islands includes freshwater marsh, salt marsh, riverine meadows, open water, quaking bog, bottomland forest, sand dunes and beach. These habitats support a variety of species groups, ranging from marine mammals and marine fish in the waters surrounding the islands to freshwater fish in the Fraser River, and birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and many species of plants. Iona Beach Regional Park, located on Iona Island, is a birding hotspot.
Snow Geese in Richmond are a winter spectacle,
photo by Brian Klinkenberg
Recent Biological Reports
Davis, Neil and Rose Klinkenberg (editors). 2008. A Biophysical Inventory and Evaluation of the Lulu Island Bog, Richmond, BC. Richmond Nature Park Society Ecology Committee, Richmond. Available at the Richmond Nature Park Gift Shop. Read more...
Ryder, June. 2009. Sea Island Conservation Area Bird Surveys 2003-2007. Nature Vancouver (Vancouver Natural History Society) and Canadian Wildlife Service. Available through Nature Vancouver.
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The Richmond Biodiversity web site is a project of the UBC Department of Geography Outreach and has been prepared by Dr. Brian Klinkenberg.
Recommended citation:
Klinkenberg, Brian. 2013. Bioidiversity of Richmond, British Columbia. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver.