Development of innovative tools for marine ecological assessment and intertidal habitat restoration.

The current innovative research project has three objectives to address current deficiencies in contaminated sites assessment and remediation: (1) To develop a rating system that defines the stages of recovery/impact at marine sites based on intertidal community structure and pollution tolerance/sensitivity/intolerance of resident species. (2) To develop methodology for the assessment of environmental stress levels at marine sites that prevent natural recolonization of the area. (3) To identify keystone species that facilitate the re-colonization of additional species assemblages and are associated with rapid increases in species richness toward more advanced stages of recovery. (4) To investigate the effectiveness of providing additional rocky substrate and transplanted species assemblages as intertidal habitat restoration strategies to accelerate rates of recovery.

Methodology.

Howe Sound is selected as the experimental field system to undertake this work due to the availability of historic intertidal diversity data along pollution gradients from Woodfibre (active 1920-2006) and Port Mellon (active 1990- present) pulp mills and the Britannia mine (active 1905-1974, reclamation 2001-08). Permanent intertidal quadrat study sites at 8 beaches along pollution gradients in Howe Sound and completed biodiversity surveys during 1990-93 and 2004 have been established (Bard, 1998; Bard et aI., 2004).

Faculty Supervisor:

Chris Kennedy

Student:

Partner:

Keystone Environmental

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Simon Fraser University

Program: