Connected Waters webinar with Lina Azeez
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"Connected Waters: Restoring connectivity and function to salmon habitat impacted by flood infrastructure" Webinar Handout
This is a handout from our webinar, "Connected Waters: Restoring connectivity and function to salmon habitat impacted by flood infrastructure". The document discusses the importance of nature-based solutions in protecting and restoring terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. It highlights the issue of outdated flood infrastructure blocking 1,500 kilometres of salmon habitat in the lower Fraser floodplain. The 'Connected Waters' campaign aims to reconnect and restore blocked waterways by upgrading to fish-friendly flood infrastructure. Effective governance requires collaboration between stakeholders and rights holders, such as Indigenous communities, conservation organizations, and farmers.
"Connected Waters" webinar with Lina Azeez
The Fraser River is known as one the most important wild Pacific salmon rivers in the world. At the same time, in the lower reaches near Vancouver, the river, its side channels and tributaries have been diked and controlled to stop the waters from inundating the floodplain. This reach of river is important overwintering and rearing habitat for juvenile salmon. As the climate changes and extreme weather, like the tragic floods of November 2021 become more frequent, the waterways, wetlands and floodplains of the lower mainland are brought into stark focus. Decisions are now being made on how best to live with water – do we build the dikes higher and the pump stations bigger, or do we explore comprehensive, multi-beneficial and nature-based solutions to protect our communities, restore salmon and build resilient ecosystem?