The Harbours Atlas is a web-based information and mapping tool that brings together environmental and land information for the harbours and their watersheds.
Users can retrieve ecological and geographic data from over 70 layers of spatial information including:
- Harbour vegetation
- Marine fauna
- Sediment and substrate types
- Sensitive shoreline habitats
- Seasonal bird use and density
- Underwater videos
Harbours Atlas Update
The CRD is in the process of updating the Harbours Ecological Inventory and Ratings projects. Once complete the data will be made available to the public on the Harbours Atlas
Harbours Ecological Inventory and Rating (HEIR) Project
In 1997, VEHEAP started to inventory and rate the biological and physical features of the backshore, intertidal and subtidal portions of Victoria and Esquimalt harbours. The information gathered was rated by ecological value, vulnerability to development and priority for action.
Reports with additional details:
- HEIR Report: Intertidal and Backshore [PDF/434KB]
- HEIR Report: Appendices [PDF/447KB]
- Subtidal Survey - Esquimalt Harbour [PDF/5.1MB]
- Subtidal Survey - Esquimalt Lagoon: Report [PDF/2.5MB]
- Subtidal Survey - Esquimalt Lagoon: Maps [PDF/5.5MB]
- Subtidal Survey - Portage Inlet and Gorge Waterway: Report [PDF/32.3MB]
- Subtidal Survey - Portage Inlet and Gorge Waterway: Maps [PDF/8MB]
- Subtidal Survey - Victoria Harbour [PDF/14.5MB]
2019 Harbour Inventory Pilot Study
In preparation for updating the ecological inventory of the harbours, the CRD hired a consultant in 2019 to assess the suitability of using remote sensing imagery for undertaking the inventories. Read the full report here:
