PROJECTS

Evaluating the vulnerability of Pacific salmon to effects of climate change in the Central Interior

Year		2009
Proponent		ESSA Technologies Ltd. (08 LR 44)
Project type		Governance
Project type		Habitat
FSWP funding source		Living Rivers
Grant amount		$45,000
Total project value		$60,000
ID number		09-LR97-H

Location: Basin wide

Project Summary

Overview
In the Pacific Region, global climate change will lead to changes in freshwater environments. The biological implications of physical habitat changes on Pacific salmon are significant as changes in timing / magnitude of flow and thermal regimes are linked to behavioural and physiological responses of freshwater life stages.

Human activities can affect biophysical changes by imposing additional stressors such as unsustainable exploitation rates on vulnerable populations, or reducing water availability in stressed areas, or restoration actions which may include adjusting harvest rates, or changing management of freshwater supplies to mitigate against low summer flows during adult migration and spawning.

This proposal builds on work funded by FSWP, MOE, and PFRCC which assesses vulnerabilities of salmon in the Cariboo-Chilcotin. The next phase would focus on developing adaptation strategies (i.e., reducing stressors or implementing restoration actions) that benefit salmon in the context of a changing climate. The overall project goal is to: successfully apply a pilot framework for decision making that provides regional decision makers with the relevant and scientifically defensible information needed to make proactive decisions in the near-term that will benefit human communities, Pacific salmon, and their habitats in the long-term given climate-induced changes in freshwater systems.

Objectives
(1) Enable greater consideration of the impacts of climate change on freshwater habitats by provincial resource management agencies and related decision making processes in the Cariboo-Chilcotin.
(2) Support Wild Salmon Policy implementation, specifically Action Steps 3.2 - Integrate climate and ocean information into annual salmon management processes and 4.1 - Implement an interim process for management of priority CUs.

Methods
Task 1: Create a small core working group to provide guidance and feedback on project activities. This group will help (a) ensure vulnerability information is relevant and useful to decision makers, and (b) identify both general and specific opportunities for adaptation within existing decision making processes.

Task 2: Convene meetings with the core working group to identify general opportunities for adaptation where results from the previous vulnerability assessment could be tailored to inform decision making (e.g., focus on adapting water licensing decisions and/or forest management planning).

Task 3: The next task will be to revisit the previous phase vulnerability assessment to better prioritize the general opportunities identified in Task 2. This effort will include updating information sources in the vulnerability assessment and overlaying existing land and water use activities to identify areas where current practices can be adjusted.

Task 4: Additional meetings will be convened among the core working group and others to present results from Task 3. Using this information, the group will be tasked with (a) identifying priority watersheds for discussions about adaptation, and (b) developing a specific set of adaptation strategies for these watersheds (e.g., more detailed proposals for which, where, and when adapting actions could be implemented).

Task 5: Finally, a climate change adaptation plan will be prepared which identifies the most vulnerable areas and a set of alternative adaptation strategies for these watersheds. This report will also propose next steps for how to validate findings from the vulnerability assessment, consult with others to select the most appropriate adaptation strategy, and implement the most appropriate strategy within a watershed.

Evaluating the vulnerability of Pacific salmon to effects of climate change in the Cariboo-Chilcotin

Year		2008
Proponent		ESSA Technologies Ltd and Nature Conservancy Canada
Project type		Governance
FSWP funding source		Living Rivers
Grant amount		$30,000
Total project value		$19,500
Other project funders		BC Ministry of Environment Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council
ID number		08 FM LR44

Future outlook on the effects of climate change on Chinook salmon habitats in the Cariboo-Chilcotin

Evaluating the vulnerability of freshwater fish habitats in the Cariboo-Chilcotin - Results

Evaluating the vulnerability of freshwater fish habitats in the Cariboo-Chilcotin - Methods

A future outlook on the effects of climate change on coho salmon habitats in the Cariboo-Chilcotin

A future outlook on the effects of climate change on bull trout habitats in Cariboo Chilcotin

2008 FSWP Final Report

Location: Cariboo-Chilcotin, Cariboo-Chilcotin

Project Summary

The purpose of this project is to assess the vulnerability of chinook and coho salmon to the impacts of climate change on freshwater habitats in the Cariboo-Chilcotin. The project team will use a series of readily available data and existing quantitative models to link the effects of climate change through to effects on salmon habitats. The expected outcomes will include quantitative results and maps summarizing impacts on salmon habitats and an interpretation of these results to tell a “story” about the vulnerability of freshwater habitats to climate change. The intention is that these results could then be used by regional decision makers and managers to help identify adaptation strategies that can be implemented today which will help mitigate future effects of climate change.

At 9:23 am on 12/22/09, Local Internet Marketing said:

It’s really nice to see people who still has the concern in our natural resources specially in species like this.