Nature and science

Discover Sable Island National Park Reserve

Video by Brinton Photography

Far out in the North Atlantic sits Sable Island National Park Reserve, a wild and windswept island of sand.

This crescent shaped island of dynamic rolling sand dunes is home to a wild horse population, the world’s largest breeding colony of grey seals, and species that are found here and nowhere else on earth.

The forces of nature dominate all life here, past, present, and future. Sable Island National Park Reserve is a testament to adaptation and survival, a place to witness change and marvel at survival in an unlikely environment. 

Conservation

Sable Island has an ongoing tradition of in-depth, varied, and diverse research. The work of many researchers and institutions has yielded fascinating information about the island’s ecology and cultural history.

Research and monitoring projects:

Animals

Since the 16th century, many domestic animals, including horses, cattle, goats, and rabbits, have been released on the island.

  • Horses
  • Atlantic walrus
  • Grey seals
  • Birds
  • Fish
  • Invertebrates
Plants

Approximately 1/3 of the island is vegetated and most of the native flora of Sable Island is typical to similar dune environments in Eastern North America.

  • Heath-type vegetation
  • Sandwort
  • Marram grass
Environment

Perched on the edge of the Continental Shelf clings a crescent shaped isle alone in the North Atlantic.

  • Climate
  • Beaches, dunes, and sand spits
  • Freshwater lens