Biodiversity Conservation - the BIEAP and FREMP Website

Breakout Sessions Concerning the Ten Strategic Directions | Key Points
In order to produce a solid baseline that can
be used for future monitoring, the Burrard Inlet
Environmental Action Program undertook a
Habitat Inventory for Burrard Inlet in 2009.
This has involved using aerial photo
interpretation to digitize major features of the
inlet including: observed shoreline, low water
mark, roads, structures and buildings, streams
and stream mouths, intertidal substrate and
intertidal vegetation.
Photo graph: Michelle Gaudry
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Map, Monitor, Research continued
Participant Comments on Tactics continued
The next step for biodiversity conservation should be a
tool kit used by NGOs and municipalities for land based
terrestrial ecosystems.
A gap for environmental planning is inventory
information. This can be used to determine where
impacts are, where are the setbacks and other protective
measures that should be put in place. Data exists for
streams, but not for things like wildlife trees, nests —
we need inventory information to be the first step
in planning.
Lots of consultants’ reports result from environmental
assessments from development applications, but there
is no way of accessing this information. There should
be a list of information on highlights from consultants’
reports (e.g. species occurrence data) to be accessed
elsewhere (i.e. in a database) so this info isn’t lost.
‘Biodiversity’ is obfuscation—we’re talking about
habitat. We need to inventory habitat; we know what
species use which habitats and these habitats are being
destroyed, e.g., port expansion on Roberts Bank.
The 190 km of shoreline and 11,300 hectares of water
and seabed of Burrard Inlet are biologically diverse and
productive ecosystems that provide habitat for many
species of fish and shellfish. It also supports around 30
species of corals, jellyfish and sea anemones like the
green surf anemone, or giant green anemone, Anthopleura
xanthogrammica. These beautiful animals feed on detached
mussels, crabs, sea urchins and small fishes.
Strategic Directions for Biodiversity Conservation in the Metro Vancouver Region | Forum Proceedings: Key Points and Potential Action Steps
How can we build a database with a variety of
biodiversity information to be used for planning?
The City of Burnaby uses BCIT Fish and Wildlife
Program students to do fisheries assessments.
Propose creating report cards—rank municipalities
on biodiversity effort and protection/loss, raise the profile
of biodiversity in local governments through competition.
Research—municipalities don’t do it just for the sake
of it. It can be done when partnered with an institution.
It needs to be practical.
Collaboration with post-secondary institutions
is needed for monitoring and mapping,
e.g., Community Mapping Network, Douglas
College Institute for Urban Ecology.
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