Estuaries and coastal wetlands comprise less than 3% of BC’s coastline, yet they support over 80% of BC’s coastal fish and wildlife, and provide critical rearing and staging habitat for Pacific salmon. Climate change impacts are expected to significantly impact estuary ecosystems through a number of mechanisms, including rising sea-levels, ocean acidification, temperature and salinity changes, changes to freshwater and sediment inputs.
The Nature Trust of British Columbia (NTBC) and our partners in the West Coast Conservation Land Management Program1 has secured funding under the BC Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund to implement a five year project to improve estuary habitat to enhance the long-term sustainability and health of wild BC fish stocks. Working with Coastal First Nations and research partners such as the Hakai Institute and Simon Fraser University, the project takes a two-pronged approach:
Conducting monitoring and research assess estuary resilience to sea-level rise at 15 sites on Vancouver Island, the central coast and Haida Gwaii.
Implementation of several major ecological restoration projects that restore core estuarine abiotic processes in Years 4 and 5.
This meeting is the first of several that will bring partner Coastal First Nations together to provide classroom- and field-based training on monitoring equipment, sampling protocols, and health and safety considerations associated with the study. This gathering will also provide a forum for networking and for participants to learn from one another and exchange knowledge and ideas.
1 The West Coast Conservation Land Management Program is a multi-partner program that includes Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Operations, Ducks Unlimited Canada, The Nature Trust of BC, and the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.
