Assessing Resilience, Enhancing Restoration, Building Partnerships

In the fall of 2019, The Nature Trust of British Columbia launched this five-year project to improve estuary habitat and enhance the long-term sustainability and health of wild B.C. Pacific salmon fish stocks.

Beginning with assessments in the first three years, the project will monitor and research resilience to sea-level rise and climate change using the Marsh Resiliency to Sea-Level rise (MARS) tool at 15 estuaries on Vancouver Island, the central coast and Haida Gwaii.

Over the following two years, The Nature Trust of BC will deliver transformational projects that restore core natural estuarine processes, using information gathered from the assessments.

A key element of the project is a focus on developing strong relationships with coastal First Nations communities, environmental organizations and academic institutions. Partners are involved in every step of the project and are integral to its success.

Three field workers wade across a stream in an estuary to conduct research.

Estuaries: the Heart of our Coastlines

Estuaries have been called the heart of coastal ecosystems, connecting rivers, the ocean and upland environments. This mixing of habitats fosters an incredible biodiversity, with delicate but productive ecosystems for plants and animals from the land and the water. Estuaries are especially critical for the health of wild BC fish like Pacific salmon, as they act as nurseries for juvenile salmon, providing a place for them to rest and adjust to saltwater before they swim out to sea. Increasing the resilience of these coastal ecosystems in important to the long-term survival of these species.

The 15 estuaries sites included in the BCSRIF project are located in the Salmon River, Fulmore/Shoal River, Cowichan River, Nanaimo River, Englishman River, Glendale River, Cluxewe River, Quatse River, Asseek River, Koeye River, , Bella Coola River, Kaouk River, Moyeha River and the Kumdis and Naden-Davidson estuaries. Nine of these estuaries are located on land conserved by The Nature Trust of BC.