BC’s biodiversity in the palm of your hand
This article was originally written and submitted as part of a Canada 150 Project, the Innovation Storybook, to crowdsource stories of Canadian innovation with partners across Canada. The content has since been migrated to Ingenium’s Channel, a digital hub featuring curated content related to science, technology and innovation.
New app helps nature lovers identify hundreds of species along the province’s Central Coast.
By Malorie Bertrand
Ever wander in nature wishing you could identify the different plants and animals around you? Now, thanks to a team at the University of Victoria (UVic), there’s an app for that. Biodiversity of the Central Coast — launched this spring — gives users helpful images and descriptions for 210 plants, 80 birds, 120 seaweeds, 190 marine invertebrates and 20 mammals and reptiles that live in the Great Bear Rainforest along British Columbia’s central coast. Most conventional field guides include nowhere near that variety or number of species.
The free tool is intended for locals and tourists so they can better understand and appreciate the biodiversity of this rich ecosystem, and ultimately support its preservation. The app has already been downloaded approximately 2,500 times.
Read more of BC’s biodiversity in the palm of your hand.
Find more stories of research in action on Innovation.ca, the website of the Canada Foundation for Innovation.
Canada Foundation for Innovation
The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) was built on the ideals of thinking big and investing in areas that matter to Canadians. Since its creation in 1997, the CFI has ensured Canadian researchers have the tools — the cutting-edge labs, facilities and equipment — they need to push the frontiers of knowledge in all disciplines, and to contribute to the full spectrum of research — from discovery to technology development.
