BC Parks

The sand in Buccaneer Bay Park on North and South Thormanby islands on the Sunshine Coast supports unique ecosystems not commonly found in BC. Known as coastal sand ecosystems, the plants and animals found here are well adapted to their environment of ever-shifting sand and water. 

Coastal sand ecosystems sustain many endangered species and ecological communities. This park includes the provincially red-listed large-headed sedge and dune wildrye-beach pea ecological communities. The benefits that sand ecosystems provide include contributing to BC’s biodiversity and buffering inland areas from storms. 

Starting in 2012, BC Parks partnered with the South Coast Conservation Program to monitor and protect these coastal sand ecosystems from disturbances. This included adding a fence to a section of the park’s coastal sand ecosystems to allow for natural restoration processes to occur. With this photo station, improved monitoring and understanding of this dynamic sandy landscape can occur over time. 

This monitoring project is gratefully supported by the BC Parks Licence Plate Program funded by the purchase and renewal of BC Parks licence plates.

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