Grant: Alliance Grants

In mountain regions, temperatures are warming at twice the global average causing accelerated loss of montane glaciers as well as cold-adapted plant and animal species. Simultaneously, the increasing popularity of outdoor activities has led to more human traffic in the backcountry and this trend is expected to continue under a warming climate. Recreational activities affect water quality, plant community composition, wildlife behavior and have led to conflicts over shared use. In this context, stakeholders who hold contrasting priorities are tasked to make decisions without fully understanding how these will impact mountain ecosystems now and in the future. The goal of this partnership is to co-develop integrative assessment tools that will be used by partner organizations to make evidence-based decisions regarding the management of natural resources, the protection of natural habitats, Indigenous stewardship practices and geo-hazards risk management in mountain systems. This will be achieved by documenting 1) the continued use by First Nations, 2) current and historical composition of biological communities and 3) the ongoing impact of global changes. Our team, composed of academic researchers, and staff from the Squamish Nation and British Columbia (BC) Parks, have together designed research projects to address these complex questions for the BC southwest Coast Mountains. This project aims to showcase how a cross-sectoral evaluation of the cumulative impact of recreation and climate change on alpine ecosystems could support successful co-management and reconciliation. It will provide new information for the conservation of these ecosystems while balancing benefits for all Canadians and training personnel to work at the interface of people and places.