304 coastal conservation midterm Flashcards
definition of coastal areas
area in which terrestrial processes and land use directly affects oceanic processes (and vice versa)
Major issues/causes of problems in coastal environments
development/infrasturcture overfishing aquaculture and fisheries climate change deforestation salinization marine transportation eutrophication pollution/spills invasive species
reading: Mainstreaming the social sciences into conservation
author: Nathan Bennett
point: integration of social science aspect into conservation is crucial because without social/value change, theres no way that conservation will ever be effective
Territorial seas, EEZ and High Seas
territorial: 12 nautical miles out (provincial jurisdiction)
EEZ: 12-200 n. miles out (federal jurisdiction)
high seas: oceans past 200 n.m. - “commons” (no jurisdiction)
How do large coastal populations effect the coast/ocean?
- pollution effects water clarity (which hinders coral growth)
- nutrients/eutrophication creates increased BOD/ algal blooms
- infrastructure effects drainage into ocean
coastal inundation
process of water levels on coast rising
reading: How wild is the ocean?
author: Natalie Ban & Jackie Alder
point: the ocean is actually not very wild
- very few, if any areas that have not been effected/used by humans
- ~98% of coast and contiental shelf is used by humans
- GIS used to spatially map out 39 activities in EEZ
adaptive management
policies that take into account UNCERTAINTY & uses trial and error to learn best approaches
role of precautionary principles
- lack of scientific data/certainty is NOT sufficient reasoning to postpone conservation measures OR to assume damage can be simply solved by a technological fix
- p.p.’s ensure measures are still being taken “before its too late”
2 main forces that would create effective conservation
- shift in human values and therefore policy
2. technology
When did conservation become a thing and what type of outlook did it have at first?
1890-1960
GOAL: avoid unecessary waste, become more efficient
OUTLOOK: (USR)
- utilitarian (designed to be useful, not just aesthetic)
- sectoral (veiwed ecosystem as different parts instead of a whole…economic uses/values were the priority)
- reactive actions taken rather than proactive
What is “Conservation Diplomacy” and when did it start?
1950’s
- more participatory approaches
- treaties signed with goals of conservation
- people realizing that we need a governance system that takes into account ALL boundaries effected by resource use
bioeconomic model
attempts to balance maximum #of fish taken with maximum potential income
- used to find MSY
- many issues with this model b/c of uncertainty
How and when did conservation begin to evolve?
1960’s-1990’s
- models refined
- limits and factor of uncertainty more understood
- more focus on pollutants
- more knowledge about TEK
- more proactive instead of reactive actions
- focus on sustainable development
How has conservation changed from 1990-present?
- defining sustainable development specifically
- shift away from sectoral/economist approach
- focus more on shared governance
- proactive af
- much better understanding of connectedness btwn ecosystems
indicators
something that tells you that some aspect of a system has changed
-doesn’t tell you why tho
open coastal watershed
a watershed that drains into the ocean
when did urbanization of the BC coast begin?
1790’s
decline in native populations and increase in ppl with economic interests
Cascadia Bioregion
area that includes BC, WA and OR
- grouped into one bioregion because the ecosystem is pretty much the same throughout this area
- using the border of a bioregion is MUCH better than using political borders in terms on conservation/policy/standards
“paradox of declining populations”
result of non-diverse/specialized economy
- economic acivity shut down
- ppl leave because the work provided by the activity was the reason they lived there
- population too small to recieve gov’t funding
- not enough resources to maintain area/get proper resources for conservation efforts
zombie mines
mines that have been shut down but continue to have bad effects on the surrounding env.
Example: Britannia Mine - leakage of ~600 kg of dissolved metals into Howe Sound per day and still leaking after it closed (largest point source of pollution in CANADA, 1902-1963)
Fisheries + Aquaculture
-came about on a large scale only in last century
ISSUES:
- escapement
- eutrophication/pollution
4 main coastal resource economies on the BC coast
- forestry
- fisheries/aquaculture
- mining/oil+gas
- tourism
Forestry
- biggest increase began in 1945 onwards
- Spatially extensive and Temporally limited (somewhat renewable)
ISSUES:
- habitat/biodiversity loss
- runoff/sediment
- the forest that grows back will never be the same as the one before
Mining / Oil+Gas
Spatially concentrated and Temporally extensive (absolutely non-renewable)
ISSUES:
- ecological impacts to entire ecosystems and surounding areas
- long-term effects that are pretty much impossible to stop
- tailings ponds and breaches
Tourism
ISSUES:
- noise
- gas pollution
- ballast water/invasive species
- hitting large marine animals
- infrastructure
“Network of impacts”
SUM of cumulative impacts of industrial/economic activity
3 kinds of indicators (IRP)
- Impact indicator: shows the direct impact of an activity (habitat loss from forestry)
- Response indicator: shows that actions have been taken to address issue (baby trees planted in clear cuts)
- Pressure indicator: shows that there is growing pressure on the env. (increase in population of an area would indicate pressure on the ecosystems in that area)
2 types of keystone species
- Ecological: critical species that has profound/disproportionate importance in an ecosystem (salmon)
- Cultural: imbedded in the basis of a culture (cows for hindu ppl)
Berger Comission
Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inq. (1970’s)
Thomas Berger
-first holistic inquiry into a big development proposal
-focus on participation
-example of how EA and all proposals should be conducted
“smart-growth”
land use + development that:
- enhances quality of life in communities
- preserves natural env.
- saves money over time
