Current Status
Recovery efforts have helped the Vancouver Island Marmot population grow substantially, but much work remains before the species will be secure.
Population & Colony Figures
As of the spring 2025, there were 33 colonies with marmots that emerged from hibernation. These are spread between 2 metapopulations (clusters of colonies that marmots could travel between), and three isolated colonies at Steamboat Mountain, Mt. Cain, and Mt. Seth. Note that the population number below are of observed marmots. While the Marmot Recovery Foundation monitors the population closely, there are undoubtedly some marmots that escape detection every year.
Conservation & Legal Status
The Vancouver Island Marmot (Marmota vancouverensis) is listed as Endangered under the federal Species At Risk Act (SARA) and by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Species (COSEWIC). It is a Priority 1 species under the BC Conservation Framework and classified as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Endangered Species.
Population Trend
The Vancouver Island marmot is still one of the rarest mammals in the world. Thanks to recent recovery efforts, the population has increased from a low count in 2003 of less than 30 wild marmots living in a handful of colonies to just over 380 marmots on over more than 30 mountains as we enter 2025.
Hope – and challenge – ahead
Recovery efforts have made a substantial difference to the marmot population, but there continue to be large fluctuations in the population. Larger mortality events, like the one seen in 2014, and again in 2016 may be the result weather conditions, predation events, or a combination of both.