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On this page you'll find items of interest from across the Northeast Pacific. We amplify the work of endorsed Actions and keep you up to date on all information relevant to the Decade in our region.
The Ocean Decade Collaborative Center for the Northeast Pacific was thrilled to help organize the 2023 Coastal Zone Canada (CZC) biennial conference last week from June 11-15 in the Lək̓ʷəŋən Traditional Territory (Victoria, B.C.). The conference was a UN Ocean Decade endorsed activity that brought together a diverse mix of ocean professionals from across Canada and beyond.
The Tula Foundation’s Ocean Decade Collaborative Center for NE Pacific has received funding to support a new program that will focus on actions from the BC Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Action Plan, a UN Ocean Decade endorsed project to help coastal communities understand, mitigate, and adapt to the effects of climate change on B.C.’s oceans and coasts, and protect seafood and marine life.
The BioBlitz event, held from May 26th-28th, 2023 on Galiano Island, BC, Canada, was a success, attracting over 100 participants who made over 1,600 observations of more than 600 species. Hosted by multiple ecological institutions, the event aimed to document terrestrial, freshwater, and marine biodiversity. Observations are being integrated into the Xetthecum Eco-cultural Mapping Pilot Project, and hard-to-identify species are being DNA barcoded for identification. Some of the most observed marine species were sea cauliflower, the ochre sea star, and the aggregating anemone. The event also included presentations on various ecological topics and research projects.
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and their partners GRID-Arendal, the Norwegian Blue Forests Network and the UNEP-WCMC recently launched two reports “Decades of Mangrove Forest Change: What does it mean for nature, people and the climate?” and “Into the Blue: Securing a Sustainable Future for Kelp Forests”. Our own DCC NEP Executive Director was part of the global group that contributed to the knowledge review on kelp, revealing the state of science on the world’s kelp forests and providing recommended actions to build the recovery of the world’s kelp forests.
Across the Salish Sea, monitoring the ocean with light traps may illuminate the future of Dungeness crabs. The Hakai Magazine recently launched a story about the Hakai Institute’s multiyear Sentinels of Change program.