Gillam Island (11087)
Canada, North America
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1b, A1d, D1a
Year of last assessment: 2008
National site name: Gillam Island
Central coordinates: Latitude: 50.4308, Longitude: -127.9710
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 46
Area of KBA (km2): 8.17199
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Gillam Islands lie about 2 km off the mainland shore of Vancouver Islands Quatsino Sound. The islands have rocky shores (steep in some areas), with numerous small crevices and gorges. The larger northernmost island is forested, with Sitka Spruce being the dominant species. Below this canopy, thick growths of salmonberry and currant form most of the understorey, along with patches of salal, elderberry, and crabapple. On the other islands, dwarfed spruce is present, along with shrubby thickets that are comprised of the same understorey vegetation as on the northernmost island. Lush grasses and forbes crown the middle island and surround the perimeters of the northern and southern islands. The other low rocky islets in the group are devoid of vegetation.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs.
Additional biodiversity: Gillam Islands support the second largest storm-petrel colony in British Columbia, with both Fork-tailed and Leachs Storm-Petrels being present. Together with Solander Island to the south, and the Storm Islands to the northeast of Vancouver Island, these three island groups contain the majority of the storm-petrel nesting population on Canadas west coast. On Gillam Islands, surveys completed in 1988 documented the presence of a globally significant Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel colony with 42,000 nesting pairs being present (1.7% of the global and about 22% of the national population). A globally significant Leachs Storm-Petrel colony was also documented during the same survey with 72,000 pairs being recorded (2.6% of the global and 13% of the national eastern Pacific population). In addition to the storm-petrels, just over 1% of Canadas Black Oystercatcher population nest on these islands, along with about 2.6% of the Canadas Glaucous-winged Gull population. Other seabirds that nest on the islands include smaller numbers of Pelagic Cormorants, Pigeon Guillemots, and possibly Tufted Puffins.
Delineation rationale: Type 1 marine IBA: suitable for the seaward extension approach.
Habitats
Land use: not utilised
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 33 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 33 | |
| Marine Neritic | 33 |