Canada and Snow Goose Herbivory Effects on Tidal Marsh Recession in the Fraser River Estuary

Tidal marshes are incredibly important bot ecologically and economically. While they provide many natural resources, they also provide flood protection and water filtration. However, many marshes are recessing into unvegetated mudflats. My project aims to find out if and how much goose herbivory contributes to this problem and compare the effects of Canada Geese and Snow Geese. To do this, exclosures will be set up in the mudflats and the marsh edge to keep either one or both geese species out. This will allow a direct comparison of how much damage one species does to the plants, relative to the other. After analyzing this data, I will try different new deterrents to scare and reduce herbivory of geese in tidal marshes. This project is being done in the hope of informing future management and restoration techniques throughout Canadian tidal marshes.

Faculty Supervisor:

Douglas Ransome;Eric Anderson

Student:

Gadwyn Gan

Partner:

Ducks Unlimited Canada

Discipline:

Environmental sciences

Sector:

University:

Program:

Accelerate