A short distance from Vancouver, the biosphere reserve encompasses the fjord and islands of Átl’ka7tsem/Howe Sound over a 218,723 ha, of which 16% are marine areas. This mountainous coastal ecosystem of great altitudinal range influenced by the Pacific Ocean, is home to high levels of biodiversity, with some 721 native terrestrial animal species including grizzly bears, wolverines and bald eagles. It also sustains thousands of marine species, including living glass sponge reefs, which were long