By Karlis Hawkins Published in the SS Exchange – June 17, 2021
To see the waters surrounding the Gulf Islands simply as ‘the perfect background for a selfie’, is to miss the secrets of the colourful flora and fauna that live below the waves. At low tide, purple, orange and green alien-like species stand out among the rocks. From sea stars to sea cucumbers, the coast has hosted an array of marine life for millions of years. With the passing of World Ocean’s Day, we should recognize not only how vulnerable these species are to human impact, but also, how we can bolster their resilience and our own.
Human activity does not degrade the ocean by default. In fact, Coast Salish peoples have refined techniques over thousands of years and built infrastructure that improves the survival of Butter clams, supports biodiversity and protects shorelines from storm surges and erosion. Sea gardens (A.K.A. clam gardens) are a technology that involves building a rock wall at the low tide line. This increases inter-tidal habitat and harbours an abundance of seafood. Shellfish at these sites eat plankton, bacteria and pathogens which can reduce the severity of harmful algal blooms and the spread of marine diseases. The garden’s rock walls change beach slopes over time, making them shallower and distributing wave energy over a larger area instead of hitting the shorelines directly.
Ocean life is often overlooked as diets have shifted and motor boats propel us over top of these ecosystems without the time to see what lies beneath. However, these life forms are also life support systems. Eel grass beds and kelp forests are habitat for newly hatched herring and salmon, they sequester carbon, reduce acidification and the spread of marine disease and eel grass can even bury micro-plastics in its roots. Facing regional losses of marine plant life, a number of local groups are working to restore these vital species through conservation, wild planting and even kelp farming for food. By protecting and restoring these critical habitats, Gulf Island communities will have a far more food secure future under the changing climate.
Over the past 7 months, I worked with Transition Salt Spring to explore marine-based projects that could help this region adapt to climate change. Through consultations with experts, First Nations leaders and site visits, we came up with three guiding principles: resilience, restoration and reconciliation. Resilience means finding ways to make humanity and wildlife better able to adapt and recover from shocks. Pursuing restoration means building back ecosystem services like food provision. Working towards reconciliation means that our marine practices will be informed by First Nations people’s perspectives and goals while supporting community development.
Islands are especially vulnerable to climate change because of sea level rise, storms and isolation from infrastructure. But they are also uniquely positioned to try things differently. Through building awareness, community action and funding, the Gulf Islands could provide a critical refuge for marine life and lead by example on climate adaptation. The truly picturesque future, is one where all Islanders learn to become stewards of marine ecosystems and recognize the ocean’s connections to our life on land.
About Karlis Hawkins
Karlis Hawkins is a geographer, drummer and student of the Restoration of Natural Systems program at the University of Victoria.
Photos: Pierre Mineau