British Columbia's Central Interior ecoregion covers approximately 24.6 million hectares (~61 million acres) and encompasses the Sub-Boreal Interior and Central Interior ecoprovinces. The ecoregion has a unique combination of topography and climate, and supports a wide range of birds, fish, mammals and insects. It encompasses the flat-to-rolling Chilcotin, Cariboo, Nechako and McGregor plateaus; the Chilcotin, Bulkley, Thatsa and Hart ranges; and the Omineca and Skeena mountains.
This immense landscape overlaps the administrative boundaries of a number of regional districts including the Cariboo, Bulkley-Nechako, Peace River, Stikine, Kitimat-Stikine, Fraser-Fort George, Central Coast, Squamish-Lillooet, Mount Waddington, and Thompson-Nicola. The main economic driver is forestry, but cattle ranching, mining, agriculture and tourism also play important roles in the economy.
Vegetation is dominated by sub-boreal spruce and Interior Douglas-fir ecosystems, with approximately 35% of the forest landbase in lodgepole pine forest. Mountain Pine beetle, which attacks lodgepole pine, is present throughout the region, and infestation levels are significant.
Approximately 10 per cent, or 2.5 million ha of the ecoregion is currently protected. The major provincial protected areas are Ts'yl-os (approximately 233,000 ha), Itcha Ilgachuz (112,000 ha), Entiako (122,529 ha), Big Creek (65,982 ha), and Tweedsmuir (981,000 ha).
The NCC-led Central Interior ERA was initiated at the beginning of 2007 and includes collaborators from the BC Ministry of Forests and Range, Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, and Ministry of Environment, GeoConnections, the First Nations Mountain Pine Beetle Initiative, the Univerisity of British Columbia, University of Northern British Columbia, University of Victoria, the University of Colorado, FORREX, and NatureServe. The ERA includes development of a web-based regional atlas and decision-support system and will be completed by March 2009.
