Ecological and conservation science research to build an integrated field research station - eco-tourism business

Cassiar Cannery是斯基纳河口唯一的生态旅游公司和研究站 不列颠哥伦比亚省美丽的北海岸。这项业务依赖于健康的沿海鳗草生态系统和 这两个项目似乎都受到了该地区目前拟议的液化天然气项目的威胁。确保安全 Cassiar Cannery生态旅游业务的长期生存要求任何这样的开发项目 利用基于科学的决策来实施，以最大限度地减少对生态敏感性的影响 栖息地和物种。然而，目前缺乏所需的科学信息。这项新研究 合作将使Cassiar Cannery获得Baum实验室的专业海洋生态知识和 专业知识。 我们将产生关于当地地理位置、健康和生态敏感性的基本新知识 鳗草床以及鲑鱼和其他鱼类对这些生态系统的依赖。我们将通过绘制地图来实现这一点 并对斯基纳河口的鳗草床进行调查，寻找鱼类和无脊椎动物的生物多样性，食物网 结构，以及2015年夏季和秋季的环境特征。然后我们将把这一新知识 通过研究报告和网站材料直接向公司提交。 这项研究将被卡西尔罐头厂直接用于促进以科学为基础的决策 在当地生态敏感的沿海生态系统内拟议的能源部门发展；开发 当地沿海河口地图和现场展示，以帮助加强其生态旅游业务；并作为基线 这些数据将公开提供，为该公司羽翼未丰的野外空间站未来的研究提供信息。的优势 对加拿大的这项研究包括严格的科学证据，这些证据可以广泛用作 了解拟议开发项目对不列颠哥伦比亚省S北部海岸的环境影响；促进 不列颠哥伦比亚省内的可持续旅游业；以及对两名学生的高质量培训。

Cassiar Cannery is the only ecotourism company and research station in the Skeena Estuary on British Columbia's beautiful north coast. The business is reliant upon healthy coastal eelgrass ecosystems and salmon runs, both of which appear to be threatened by currently proposed LNG projects in the area. Securing the long-term viability of Cassiar Cannery's ecotourism business requires that any such development projects be implemented using science-based decision making so as to minimize impacts to ecologically sensitive habitats and species. At present, however, the required scientific information is lacking. This new research partnership will give Cassiar Cannery access to the Baum lab's specialized marine ecology knowledge and expertise. We will generate fundamental new knowledge about the location, health, and ecological sensitivity of local eelgrass beds and the reliance of salmon and other fishes on these ecosystems. We will achieve this by mapping and surveying the eelgrass beds within the Skeena Estuary for fish and invertebrate biodiversity, food web structure, and environmental characteristics in summer and fall 2015. We will then transfer this new knowledge directly to the company through a research report and website materials. This research will be used directly by Cassiar Cannery to promote science-based decision making about proposed energy-sector developments within their local ecologically sensitive coastal ecosystems; to develop local coastal estuary maps and on-site displays to help strengthen their eco-tourism business; and as baseline data that will be openly available to inform future research at the company's fledgling field station. Benefits of this research to Canada include rigorous scientific evidence that can be broadly employed as the basis for understanding environmental impacts of proposed developments on B.C.'s northern coast; the promotion of sustainable tourism within B.C.; and high-quality training of two students.