Download the Canadian Rocky Mountains Ecoregion Conservation Assessment
This ecoregion covers the central section of the Rocky Mountains of east-central British Columbia and contains some of North America's best-known wildlands. The ecoregion takes in a portion of the Rocky Mountain Foothills to the east and the Hart Ranges and southern Muskwa Ranges in its western half. Low-elevation forest cover is predominantly mixed species with Lodgepole Pine, Trembling Aspen, and White and Black Spruce. Forests of Lodgepole Pine, Engelmann Spruce, and Alpine Fir characterize the subalpine section. Alpine communities are usually composed of low-growing heather, shrubs, and grasses. Sporadic discontinuous permafrost occurs throughout the ecoregion at high elevation.
In addition to expansive conifer forests, the ecoregion contains several other vegetation communities. Mountain meadows, foothill grasslands, riparian woodlands and upper tree line communities exist throughout the region. Characteristic wildlife includes Wolverine, Grizzly and Black Bear, Moose, Mountain Goat, Caribou, Wolf, Elk, Mule Deer, and Ruffed Grouse.
Logging, hard-rock mining, oil and gas development and recreational-residential construction are all major threats to the ecoregion. Forestry, hunting, recreation, and coal mining are important land uses. Transportation corridors such as Canada Highway 3, US Highway 2 and I-90 are major fragmentation areas that may reduce the long-term viability of the ecoregion's carnivore population.
NCC-BC and its partners have completed the Canadian Rocky Mountains Ecoregion Conservation Assessment. This project is the culmination of 3 years of hard work by a conservation planning team made up of members from NCC BC, NCC Alberta, The Nature Conservancy's Montana and Idaho Field Offices, The Nature Conservancy's Western Resources Office, the BC Conservation Data Centre, the Washington Natural Heritage Program, and the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife; with support from the Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre, the Idaho Conservation Data Center, and the Montana Natural Heritage Program. This report also reflects the input of over a hundred experts who were interviewed and who attended expert workshops. The Conservation Assessment consists of 3 volumes and a series of maps.
