| Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view ofQualicum Beach and the northeastern coast ofVancouver Island | |
   | |
| Location | Vancouver Island,British Columbia,Canada |
| Nearest city | Parksville |
| Coordinates | 49°11′0″N124°15′0″W / 49.18333°N 124.25000°W /49.18333; -124.25000[1] |
| Area | 118,592 ha (457.89 sq mi) |
| Designation | UNESCO Biosphere Reserve |
| Designated | 2000 |
| Governing body | Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Foundation (2000–2013) Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute (2014–Today) |
| Website | Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region |
Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region (MABR) is aUNESCO Biosphere Reserve located on the east coast ofVancouver Island inBritish Columbia,Canada. It was designated in 2000 byUNESCO to protect a large second-growthcoast Douglas fir ecosystem in the watersheds of theLittle Qualicum andEnglishman Rivers from beingdeveloped.[1]
The watersheds of the Little Qualicum and Englishman Rivers on the northeastern slope ofMount Arrowsmith were once home to a largeold-growth forest dominated bycoast Douglas fir. The forest wasclearcut in the early 1900s but eventually rebounded as the trees matured. In the mid-1990s, local logging industries pressured the provincial government to permitclearcutting in the area as the trees neared their harvestable size. Local conservation groups protested additional logging of the recovering forest.[1]
In 2000,UNESCO, in cooperation with local conservation groups and theprovincial government, designated the land in these watersheds aUNESCO Biosphere Reserve, protecting the forest from being clearcut.[1]
In November 2008, the governing body ofAlberni-Clayoquot Regional District in cooperation with local conservation groups establishedMount Arrowsmith Massif Regional Park within the biosphere reserve to further protecting the forest from being clearcut.[2][3]
In 2013, members of the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Foundation voted to dissolve the society and transfer management of the biosphere reserve toVancouver Island University (VIU) and theCity of Parksville.[4]
In 2014, VIU established the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute, which is governed by representatives from theQualicum First Nation,Snaw-naw-as First Nation, City of Parksville,Town of Qualicum Beach,Regional District of Nanaimo,BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, Vancouver Island Conservation Land Management Program, Island Timberlands, TimberWest, and VIU.[4]
Protected areas located within the biosphere reserve include:[5]
