Print PageThe rugged west coast of Vancouver Island British Columbia, Canada boasts plentiful populations of fish and shellfish, pristine beaches for surfing, kayaking, and diving, and large ocean waves that can be harnessed for renewable energy. Some stakeholders are eager to expand coastal development to support tourism, renewable energy generation, and aquaculture to provide jobs and other local benefits. Others worry that increases in the variety and intensity of ocean uses will degrade unique coastal and marine ecosystems and the benefits these systems provide. The West Coast Aquatic Management Board (WCA) is tasked with developing a marine spatial plan that will balance multiple uses and facilitate sustainable management of the marine environment. WCA is a public-private partnership with membership from various levels of government (First Nations, Federal, Provincial and local) and from a broad range of stakeholders. WCA is partnering with the Natural Capital Project to use Marine InVEST models for mapping and valuing ecosystem services to identify areas most suitable for coastal development, tourism and recreation, aquaculture, wave energy, and fishing, and to understand how alternative scenarios for use of the marine and coastal environment are likely to lead to changes in the quantity and value of services provided.
Results/Conclusions
We have worked closely with WCA to generate and compare alternative scenarios for management of the coastal and marine environment on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. Output from the Marine InVEST ecosystem service models reveals spatial variation in the suitability of regions for different uses. For example, the models identify those areas where coastal development might best be avoided due to vulnerability to coastal hazards such as erosion and flooding from coastal storms. The models also indicate locations that will give the highest returns for wave energy conversion facilities but not coincide with prime fishing locations and significant aesthetic viewsheds. Local planners are using model outputs to inform decisions about building permits and other zoning choices. WCA is using this information to minimize conflict among uses within planning units and to communicate with stakeholders about the indirect effects of choices in one sector on a broad range of ecosystem services. Elucidating linkages between multiple services has helped WCA identify potential conflicts among particular sectors as well as highlight win-win solutions that will bring stakeholders together in support of a comprehensive marine spatial plan.
