Species Profiles

The SCCP's Species profiles have been developed by the South Coast Conservation Program to help users identify plants and animals at risk on the South Coast in British Columbia. Land-use decision makers and regulators are increasingly relying on species monitoring and habitat restoration needs being filled by stewardship and professional expertise. This cannot be achieved without these audiences receiving appropriate skills, training, up-to-date tools and information. The South Coast Conservation Program is working to address this through a number of avenues including the application of new mobile and digital resources supported by an interactive social networking approach. Click on a selection from the dropdown table above to view a particular species "kingdom" and then select the species within that group. Profiles and factsheets are still a work in progress with a target completion date of May 2015

Endangered times on the South Coast of BC: The main focus for the SCCP and the majority of species on our website is on the South Coast, a biodiversity hotspot with over 260 species provincially and federally listed as threatened or endangered. The geographic boundaries of the South Coast bioregion follow three forest districts – Chilliwack, Squamish and Sunshine Coast which includes a number of Regional Districts (Fraser Valley, Metro Vancouver, Powell River, Sunshine Coast and Squamish - Lillooet).

The Coast Region versus the South Coast? Profiles on these pages also includes species whose range extends to the Central and North Coast of BC, Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii. This was made possible through a previous Coast-wide partnership (2010) on species of conservation concern through the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, the SCCP and International Forest Products. That initiative developed a range of species profiles which have been updated and incorporated into the profiles represented on the SCCP's website. 

How to use: The species profiles have been designed to provide easy to use, comprehensive information identifying endangered species that users may encounter in BC’s Coast Region (South, Central and North Coast, Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii), with a specific focus on the SCCP’s back yard – the South Coast. Each profile includes up to date taxonomic information (species scientific name) as well as conservation status at the provincial, federal and international level. With over 100 animal and plant profiles, details include: possible look-alike species, information on the species ecology (habitat, diet, lifecycle table), range maps as well as information about threats affecting the species and where to look for further information on their conservation and management. Each profile is supported by an image gallery and description of the species with detailed characteristics to assist in identification as well as links to relevant provincial and federal website. Recent research and articles are included in the "Resources" section of each profile and pages are inter-linked to the SCCP's Resources and Guidelines pages.

In addition to individual species profiles, the SCCP has also created profiles for some of the top Ecological Communities at Risk on the South Coast.The B.C. Conservation Data Centre (CDC) and NatureServe network use the term "Ecological Community" to capture the full range of ecosystems in B.C. at a variety of levels. The term "ecological" is a direct reference to the integration of non-biological features such as soil, landform, climate and disturbance factors. The term "community" reflects the interactions of living organisms (plants animals, fungi, bacteria, etc.), and the relationships that exist between the living and non-living components of the "ecological system".

You can also generate a PDF of each species profile. Compiling,  downloading, archiving and sharing species at risk info has never been easier. Please review the Guide to SCCP Species and Habitat Profiles to understand the extent of the information covered in each profile.

ID Tips Factsheets! The SCCP has created a number of identification factsheets  as a complement to our resources for landowners, for use at public events or as teaching aids to accompany our Species At Risk in the Classroom resources. Click on the links to download the PDFs. Amphibian ID: Frogs and Toads of BC's South Coast, Aquatic Amphibian Eggs of BC's South Coast and Salamanders and Newts of BC's South Coast. French versions available for the Frogs and Toads, and Eggs guides. Reptile ID: Identify South Coast turtles. Bird ID: Owls of BC's South Coast. Land Snai ID: Common Land Snails of BC's South Coast. 

Species Identification on the go! To complement our species profile portal the SCCP has created our "South Coast Endangered Species Finder" app. This app synchs with our online species profiles so that both platforms can be updated easily as new information becomes available. It also has all of our ID Tips Factsheets built in so you can download and save them to your mobile device. You can use the app to view images and information about all the species profiled on our website. Use your phone’s camera to take pictures of species you encounter and make field notes using your phone’s GPS system. Create a diary of occurrences and favourites to use for future reference! This information will also be incredibly valuable for reporting your information through the BC Conservation Data Centre and programs like BC Frog Watch and the Community Bat Programs of BC.

Species at Risk in B.C. 2016 Field Guide: Currently there are ~200 federally listed species at risk in British Columbia. Developed by Environment and Climate Change Canada - Canadian Wildlife Service, this pocket guide provides a few highlights from the recovery documents that could help you to: identify these terrestrial species at risk, find the places where they may live, and learn about the threats they face. From Alkaline Wing-nerved Moss to Woodland Caribou, this guide contains information about 85 of BC's birds, plants and other wildlife that are at risk of disappearing. The 85 species selected for this guide have, or will soon have, recovery documents available online. Recovery documents contain information about the species and what it needs to survive or recover. 

A Region Specific Guide to Butterflies of South Puget Sound, Washington: From the Cascadia Prairie-Oak Partnership a beautiful and useful guide to butterflies. Ann Potter and Rod Gilbert have put together a butterfly guide that is specific for South Puget Sound. It includes everything that you might see either in the prairies or elsewhere around the Sound, including some very uncommon species. The guide includes local flight periods, habitat preference, larval host plants, and a few notes with key identifiable features and/or information. Flight periods are specific to SPS but species ID and ecology are transferrable to the South Coast. Several species are quite rare here in BC (Edith's Checkerspot, Dun skipper, Propertius Duskywing, Monarch). If you see these butterflies in BC please contact the provincial invertebrate specialist Jennifer Heron and make sure to document your sighting to the BC Conservation Data Centre. For further information check out or E-Fauna's Butterflies of BC.

Every effort has been made to ensure content accuracy on the profiles. However information on this website should not be used as a sole means to ensure due diligence with regulatory requirements required by local, provincial or federal governments on species and habitat protection.

Comments or corrections should be directed to the South Coast Conservation Program: info@sccp.ca.

Funding for the original phase of this work (2010) was provided by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) in partnership with International Products