Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, created in 2003 as Canada’s fortieth national park, protects 16 islands and more than 30 islets, reefs, and surrounding waters in the southern Gulf Islands of British Columbia. Though small, it was established to represent the long-unprotected Strait of Georgia Lowlands and preserves Canada’s only Mediterranean-climate region, with dry summers, mild winters, and distinctive species from Douglas-fir to Garry oak, seals, salmon, orcas, and many birds. Formed after decades of conservation efforts and land transfers, it spans diverse sites that reflect Indigenous use, private ownership, settlement, extraction, and recreation.