Nature and Science

Fort Rodd Hill is located on the traditional territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən (known today as Esquimalt Nation and Songhees Nation), who have stewarded these lands since time immemorial and who continue to live in relationship with the land today.

Camas meadows and their surrounding ecosystems are ecocultural landscapes, dynamic ecosystems shaped over millennia by active human stewardship. Today, these landscapes are known by settlers as Garry oak ecosystems, which include woodland, meadow, rocky outcrop, and coastal ecological communities.

The natural areas at Fort Rodd Hill protect regionally significant examples of Garry oak ecosystems. The ecosystems are identified as critically endangered in North America and are home to more than 100 threatened or endangered species. In Canada, they are only found in British Columbia, on the southeastern tip of Vancouver Island, some of the Gulf Islands, and a few spots on the mainland. Several factors contribute to the decline of these ecosystems, including (1) fragmentation and habitat loss; (2) exotic and invasive species; (3) hyperabundant browsers; (4) changes in historic disturbance regimes; and (5) climate change. These combined threats have degraded the ecological integrity of Garry oak ecosystems in British Columbia (BC) and have left a mosaic of scattered single remnant trees or patchy stands. It is critical to protect and restore the remaining habitat, and to recover the species at risk that depend on this habitat.

• Ecosystem restoration
• Seasons in the meadow

Parks Canada protects cultural and natural heritage. At Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Sites, staff join with First Nations, conservation groups and the public to protect species at risk. The Species at Risk Act directs Parks Canada to support the survival of these plants and animals.

The site provides homes for different species at risk, on the land and in the ocean. Garry Oak ecosystems are among the most endangered ecosystems in Canada. Barn Swallows and Little Brown Bats are facing a steep decline in their numbers. Southern Resident Killer Whales are endangered, with less than 100 individuals left.