Over the course of the Resilient Coast for Salmon initiative, the team will coordinate mapping the entire East Coast of Vancouver Island with local stewardship groups, communities, and local “citizen scientists”.
The priority will be to collect information on the extent of local shoreline hardening to be compiled with high-resolution topographical shoreline data and imagery and other local nearshore and estuary habitat layers, into the Strait of Georgia Data Centre's new Marine Reference Guide.
The benefits of engaging with local communities for mapping are three-fold:
It will greatly increase the information base on extent of shoreline hardening;
It will highlight areas that should be prioritized for soft shores approaches and allow advanced planning for mitigation or avoidance of future climate change impacts such as sea level rise;
Engaging and creating citizen science teams on East Coast Vancouver Island for mapping will lead to increased understanding of soft shores and nature-based concepts and the need for the approach, leading to more effective buy-in for nature-based solutions in local communities.
To become involved with mapping the coastline in your area, check out our page about upcoming workshops. If you are curious about mapping, how it is done or would like to try your hand at it, please download our Mapping Field Guide.
