Ecology & Interconnectedness: The Importance Of Salmon In The Great Bear Rainforest - Pacific Wild

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Ecology & Interconnectedness: The Importance Of Salmon In The Great Bear Rainforest

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Tomorrow is #worldriversday, a celebration of our world's waterways and a day to get involved in river stewardship events around the world. Here on the British Columbia coast, rivers play a vital role in transferring nutrients from the ocean to the land. Salmon, who spend time in both streams and oceans, will travel upstream to their home river to spawn, feed, grow and die. Their annual migrations are a miracle of nature and every fall hundreds of species including bears, wolves, and eagles gather in estuaries and along rivers to feast on the returning fish and benefit from the marine-rich nutrients they provide. The end of the salmon life cycle brings renewal to the Great Bear Rainforest, delivering an annual pulse of ocean-derived nutrients. The trees and plants that grow along the rivers of forests depend on the deceased salmon distributed by animals and birds along the forest floor. When the salmon decomposes, vital nutrients enter the soil and help ongoing plant growth, creating new life. From ancient forests to salmon to bears, life on the coast relies heavily on healthy rivers and creeks to sustain flourishing ecosystems.⁠
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World Rivers Day was kick-started by Canadian Mark Angelo with the success of BC Rivers Day which he founded in 1980. This year, more than 100 countries will be participating in #WorldRiverDay and events have been organized across Canada, the U.S., New Zealand, Europe and more. Everything from river cleaning, canoe floats, educational seminars and restoration projects will be taking place this Sunday, September 25. Click the link in our bio to find an event near you.⁠

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and MPA networks can provide incredible ecological benefits to the ecosystems they are situated in. MPAs can boost the abundance and diversity of marine life and even the size of fish themselves. This increases the overall productivity and resilience both inside the protected areas and beyond its borders. Well designed MPAs contribute to the protection of the structure, function and integrity of ecosystems by providing refuge for harvested species and protecting habitats critical to life cycle stages (like spawning). Additionally, they complement adjacent terrestrial protected areas for species who use freshwater and marine ecosystems (e.g. salmon.) and contribute to the restoration and recovery of at-risk species, habitats and ecosystems, like glass sponge reefs. MPAs can also provide a safe haven and “stress free” refuge for mobile or migratory species. A 2018 study determined that biomass in highly protected MPAs are, on average, 670% greater than in adjacent unprotected areas; the authors concluded that MPAs “are an essential tool for reversing the global degradation of ocean life” (Sala & Giakoumi, 2018).

Public consultations are currently taking place around British Columbia to review the network action plan and end on October 27. (https://mpanetwork.ca/mpa_events/.) To help protect B.C.’s incredible biodiversity and coastal ecosystems sign our petition and support the #30by30 MPA campaign. All links are in our bio.

#MPAs #MarineConservation #MarineProtection #30x30

This week is #NationalForestWeek. Two of the largest displays of civil disobedience in Canadian history have been in an effort to save B.C.’s ancient rainforests. Thirty years ago, 900 people were arrested in Clayoquot Sound and today more recently - one thousand people were arrested on the frontlines of Ada’itsx (Fairy Creek) on Vancouver Island from 2020 onwards.

The 2016 #GreatBearRainforest(GBR) agreement pledged to protect 85 per cent of the region’s forests, with logging allowed in the remaining 15 per cent using ecosystem-based management. But since it was signed, more than 10 million cubic metres of ancient forest have been clearcut logged in the GBR.

The Great Bear Rainforest here on the British Columbia coast, is one of the most productive ecosystems in the world. These incredible forests are home to a diverse range of unique wildlife and ecosystems. Forests like these hold a large amount of carbon, and when they are cut down release that carbon back into the atmosphere. Currently, only 2.7% productive old-growth forest remains in British Columbia.

Forests are our lifeblood and have great impacts on changing climates and extreme weather shifts. Indigneous lead conservation and management, and an end to unsustainable logging of old-growth forests is needed to protect our forest for future generations.

#oldgrowth #forestmanagement #saveoldgrowth #bcpoli #bcnature

The creation of a new MPA or MPA network can positively affect many people. MPAs with a higher level of community support have better conservation outcomes, the individuals living and working near MPAs are more likely to follow the rules when they see the benefits to the environment and their livelihoods. For this reason, the MPA design process includes consultation with diverse stakeholders. In the waters of the Great Bear Rainforest, seventeen First Nations are working with the Federal and Provincial governments to protect parts of the marine environment in a network of MPAs. The Northern Shelf Bioregion MPA Network planning process incorporates feedback from many sectors, including conservation, tourism, fishing, shipping, and other industries.

To help protect B.C.’s incredible biodiversity and coastal ecosystems sign our petition and support the #30by30 MPA campaign. You can learn more about MPAs and the Northern Shelf Bioregion Marine Protected Area Network by exploring the @cpawsbc interactive Story Map site. Let’s do our part to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030! Links in bio.

The Great Bear Rainforest (GBR) is home to old-growth forests, rich biodiversity and many iconic species. In partnership with the government of Canada, a new co-management agreement has been put in place to officially share authority of stewardship in the GBR to help support more impactful conservation.The Kitasoo/Xai’Xais Nation guardians have spent hours patrolling and enforcing federal and provincial laws ensuring documenting illegal fishing, keeping boaters out of spiritually significant areas and policing illegal trophy hunting.

“It’s a massive deal -It’s the first time any government has shared authority with any First Nation.” says Douglas Neasloss, chief councilor and stewardship director of the Kitasoo/Xai’Xais Nation.

In July, British Columbia banned black bear hunting in roughly 3,000 square miles of the rainforest after DNA gathered by Kitasoo/Xai’Xais guardians revealed that spirit bears were even rarer than originally believed. This came months after both nations signed a landmark agreement which gives the guardians all the authority of a BC park ranger, to patrol provincial parks, issue tickets and to continue to watch over the surrounding mountains and fjords.

Click the link in our bio to read the full article.

#WildlifeProtection #IndigenousStewardship #IndigenousLeadership #BCConservation

In 2014, the World Park Congress recommended protecting at least 30% of the world’s oceans to recover fisheries and maintain and restore biodiversity and ecosystem services, though some studies indicate it may be closer to 50%. Currently, only 14% of Canada’s marine environment is protected - and much less is strongly protected from harmful or extractive activities - even though we have the world’s longest coastline. The three oceans that border Canada’s coasts are home to thousands of species of marine animals and plants. Their habitats include icefields, archipelagos, saltmarshes, and fjords. In particular, the Northern Shelf Bioregion, which includes the waters of British Columbia’s north and central coasts and Haida Gwaii, contains spectacularly biodiverse and productive ocean environments that are worthy of protection.

To help protect B.C.’s incredible biodiversity and coastal ecosystems sign our petition and support the #30by30 MPA campaign. You can learn more about MPAs and the Northern Shelf Bioregion Marine Protected Area Network by exploring the @cpawsbc interactive Story Map site. Let’s do our part to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030! Links in bio.

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