UN hails work to protect B.C. estuaries
Nature Trust aims to climate-proof vulnerable sites
The Nature Trust of B.C.'s project to climate-proof 15 key estuaries on Vancouver Island, the central coast and Haida Gwaii has been recognized by the United Nations.
The UN's global ocean campaign, ending in 2030, aims to revolutionize science and wield it to safeguard the ocean from global warming and pollution while devising strategies to feed the world and drive economic development fairly and sustainably.
The Nature Trust's project to enhance estuary resilience partnered for five years with a dozen coastal First Nations, as well as academics and government scientists, to research climate change impacts and rising seas. The intent was to enhance estuary habitat and boost the health of threatened Pacific salmon populations, other wildlife, and Indigenous food systems.
River estuaries, where fresh water mixes with salt water, are hot spots for biodiversity and some of the most productive ecosystems on the planet — filtering sediment, trapping carbon dioxide and stabilizing shorelines from erosion.
They act as nurseries for juvenile salmon and support a multitude of other fish and aquatic species, but are also vital to land animals, such as bears, wolves and eagles.
However, many of the largest and richest estuaries on B.C.'s south coast have been lost to shoreline development, drained to create agricultural land or dredged to accommodate shipping or the forest industry and log transport.
While these tidal marshes make up only three per cent of B.C.'s coastline, they shelter and feed more than 80 per cent of the province's coastal fish and wildlife, said federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson.
Accolades for the estuary project and the partners' outstanding work to preserve critical ecosystems is well-deserved and hard-earned from one of the most renowned organizations, Wilkinson said.
“It's a powerful example of how good science on the ground can actually make significant change and assist in the restoration of salmon in this province,” he said.
The UN project's endorsement of the Nature Trust estuary project highlights the value and importance of creating strong partnerships, particularly with First Nations, for successful ocean science research, said Jason Emery, conservation land management director with Nature Trust B.C.
“In a nutshell, it is a great endorsement for the project and gives us some recognition on the world stage,” Emery said.
Ideally, that profile can be leveraged to establish new relationships, cross-border scientific collaboration and data-sharing with others along the coast, or even internationally, doing similar work to better understand climate impacts on estuaries and devise solutions, he added.
“Especially on the restoration front, there's a lot of learning on a site-by-site basis and sharing that knowledge is absolutely key for success,” he said.
The Nature Trust initiative is already working on new ambitious estuary restoration projects to reconnect tidal channels, enhance salt marshes and monitor project results for estuaries at Gwa'dzi (Quatse) River, Xwesam (Salmon) River, Snuneymuxw (Nanaimo) River, Kw'a'luxw (Englishman) River, and Cowichan River.
The trust recently got $3.5 million in federal and provincial funding to continue the project for another three years until 2026, allowing restoration projects at other estuaries, Emery said.
Indigenous leadership and involvement in coastal and ocean science, like the estuary project, help sustain cultural heritage and coastal food security for everyone on the coast, said Rebecca Martone, executive director of the Ocean Decade Collaborative Centre on the B.C. coast.
“The collaboration with First Nations is really centred on their relationship and values with land and waters,” she said. “It really plays a role in enhancing these estuaries and trying to enhance their resilience towards climate change.”