
As a land trust dedicated to responsible environmental stewardship, conservation is at the very heart of what we do. Protecting island ecosystems has been an important part of GaLTT’s mandate from the very beginning, and our Strategic Plan 2020-2025 emphasizes the need for an even stronger and more strategic conservation role.
Using a variety of approaches, we:
- Identify priority ecosystems for protection,
- Advocate for land conservation,
- Raise and donate funds for land acquisition,
- Hold conservation covenants on ecologically significant properties,
- Encourage and support Gabriolans to take personal actions to preserve, protect, and restore natural habitats on their own lands,
- Restore natural habitat by removing invasive plant species and replacing with native vegetation.
GaLTT partners with government agencies and other land trusts and community organizations to accomplish this important work.
Only 13% of the Gabriola Trust Area has been protected
The amount of the protected terrestrial area (774 ha) on Gabriola and surrounding islands (Mudge, DeCourcy, Link, and Flat Top islands) is far below the 20% average for the Islands Trust area as a whole. Of the four most populated Islands Trust Areas, Gabriola ranks last in the relative and absolute amounts of protected land.
Community parks make up the majority (70.5%) of the protected land in the Gabriola Trust Area. The remainder is protected as nature reserves and/or conservation covenants (15.1%), regional parks (8.0%), and provincial parks (6.4%).
We’ve made good progress in recent years – only 4% of Gabriola was protected when GaLTT was formed in 2004 – but there is still much work to do!


Why is conservation of Gabriola’s ecosystems so important?
Gabriola Island is part of the Coastal Douglas-fir Biogeoclimatic Zone (CDF), a unique set of associated ecosystems found only at low elevations on south-east Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, and small pockets along the south coast of mainland British Columbia.
The CDF is the most threatened of all of BC’s ecological zones. Here are the facts:
- The CDF is home to the highest number of species and ecosystems at risk in the province. 98% of the ecological communities in the CDF are considered “at risk”.
- CDF has been highly altered by human disturbance through urbanization, industrial development, recreation, farming and the introduction of invasive species.
- Less than 1% of the CDF remains in old-growth forests.
- 80% of land in the CDF is held by private landholders, so the likelihood of further disturbance and fragmentation of the remaining natural areas is very high.
- The CDF is the least protected ecological zone in BC.
- More than 151 introduced invasive species exist in the CDF.
Our successes
In recent years, GaLTT has been an important advocate and partner in several conservation projects.
Land Acquisition
Since 2017 we have advocated, and contributed significant funds ($167K), for the purchase of three separate properties by the Regional District of Nanaimo for conservation purposes. These efforts added 35 ha (87 ac) to the 707 Community Park and created Dodd Narrows Community Park on Mudge Island.

In 2020 GaLTT advocated for the purchase and protection of Saturnina Island, one of the Flat Top Islands at the south-east end of Gabriola. The 4-ha (10-ac) island was subsequently purchased by the BC Parks Foundation. A popular day kayaking spot, the undeveloped island will be managed as a nature reserve by the Islands Trust Conservancy.

GaLTT volunteers on a trip to Saturnina to clear invasives at BC Parks Foundation’s request
Conservation Covenants

GaLTT and Islands Trust Conservancy reps attended the annual covenant monitoring trip to Link Island.
Conservation covenants are legal agreements between a landholder and a land trust that permanently protects natural habitat. GaLTT is a co-covenant holder of four covenants in the Gabriola Trust Area and is the local manager for another covenant held by American Friends of Canadian Land Trusts. We are responsible for monitoring each property yearly to ensure the terms of the covenant are being upheld.
Nature Stewards
In 2021, GaLTT launched a new Nature Stewards program to informally engage with private landholders to encourage voluntary restoration and retention of native habitat. The rapidly growing program is raising community awareness about the importance of protecting threatened CDF ecosystems and is helping landholders make more ecologically sensitive decisions on their land.

Native Plant Depot
GaLTT’s Native Plant Depot at the Gabriola Commons provides a way for Gabriolans to donate native plants and share them with others who are wanting to restore habitat. With landholder permission, our Rescue Team digs up native species and take them to GaLTT’s Native Plant Depot to be shared with others.

Invasive Plant Removal and Restoration
GaLTT’s Invasive Species Committee calls on a large and dedicated team of volunteers to remove invasive plants from island conservation areas and trails. We also offer advice and support to help islanders manage invasive plants on private land and along roadsides in their neighbourhood.
