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Figure 10.1 – The incredible biodiversity of our natural BC shorelines.
Illustration by: Cassandra Buunk
Chapter 10 – It's All Connected
The wellbeing of coastal communities is inextricably linked to the health of our shorelines .
Our shorelines nourish us — providing food and offering space for recreational, spiritual and
cultural connection . Our shores are more than just sediment beaches — they are abundant
with life!
As we have seen in the preceding chapters,
healthy habitats are needed for thriving ecosystems .
Sediment beaches act as spawning habitat for
forage fish like Pacific sand lance . Nearshore kelp Photo by: Isobel Pearsall
forests offer protective habitat for Pacific salmon and
sea otters . Eelgrass meadows hold onto herring roe
until they are ready to hatch . The rocky intertidal
is rich with creatures like barnacles, algae, mussels,
crabs, sea stars, and so much more!
The backshore and riparian habitats are also rich
with native plant life and terrestrial animals — not
to mention, overhanging vegetation near the shore
helps to shade these habitats from the hot sun, and
the roots help to stabilize riparian soils . When left
to function naturally, shorelines house incredible
biodiversity (Figure 10 .1) .
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