The Vancouver Island Ecological Restoration Project is committed to revitalizing degraded riparian habitats along fish-bearing streams and rejuvenating native forest ecosystems across Vancouver Island. Beyond enhancing habitat conditions for native flora and fauna, the project aims to support Indigenous enterprises, enhance community aesthetics, and create valuable educational opportunities.
The project’s reach currently extends across private, municipal, and IR lands in four regions — Alberni Valley, Greater Nanaimo, Cowichan Valley, and Greater Victoria — encompassing more than 300,000 trees. This work aims to restore riparian areas along important estuaries and reestablish Garry oak ecosystems, among the rarest and most endangered in BC.
The initiative employs an silvicultural restoration technique that involves collaborating with Indigenous communities, educational institutions, and environmental organizations to underscore a community-centred approach to ecological restoration.
Tree Canada’s commitment to funding this project is key to promoting biodiversity, enhancing ecosystem resilience across the landscape, and addressing climate-related challenges on Vancouver Island. Planting is anticipated to commence in the spring of 2024, marking a crucial step toward the comprehensive ecological restoration goals of our many collaborators.
To participate in this project, please email mackendrick@cariboocarbon.ca
