Central Okanagan

Project Description and Location: The project is a Sensitive Ecosystems Inventory in the central Okanagan basin, an area of great ecological significance within both the province of B.C. and Canada. Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping (TEM) provided the base for the SEI theme. Wildlife Habitat Ratings (WHR) were included. The study area Is located along the western and eastern flanks of Okanagan Lake in the central Okanagan Valley and covers 30,908 hectares of private- and publicly-owned lands. ​

Project Partners: The Central Okanagan project was conducted through a partnership between the Regional District of Central Okanagan and the B.C. Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management (Conservation Data Centre and the former Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat Inventory section). Funding was provided by the Regional District of Central Okanagan, the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund and the Canadian Wildlife Service (Environment Canada).

Project Objectives: The project worked to provide an inventory of the rare and fragile ecosystems and habitats for many wildlife species as a base for land-use planning and private land stewardship.

Standards and Scale used: The Standard for Terrestrial Ecosystems Mapping in BC (1998) was used to develop the TEM map. Wildlife habitat values were determined using British Columbia Wildlife Habitat Ratings Standards (1999). TEM units were then evaluated for rarity and ecological sensitivity and assigned to sensitive ecosystems and other important ecosystems categories accordingly. The methods used in Sensitive Ecosystems Inventories of the South Okanagan, Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast were also incorporated into the Central Okanagan SEI.

Data & Reports

Report authors: K. Iverson, C. Cadrin, D. Filatow, C. Erwin, M. Sarell, A. Haney and C. Tolkamp

Digital files on EcoCat: Sensitive Ecosystems Inventory - Central Okanagan

Hard copy maps: SEI theme maps and the technical report are available for purchase from the Regional District of Central Okanagan.

GIS Coordinator
Regional District of Central Okanagan
1450 KLO Road Kelowna, BC V1W 3Z4
Telephone: (250) 868-5267
Fax: (250) 868-0012
gis@cord.bc.ca