Coastal Restoration Planning in Newfoundland and Labrador: Identification and Prioritization of Sites

A multi-year initiative of World Wildlife Fund - Canada (supported by DFO’s Coastal Restoration Fund) focused on coastal habitats for capelin, arctic char and salmon, is tasked with coordinating effective coastal... [ view full abstract ]

A multi-year initiative of World Wildlife Fund - Canada (supported by DFO’s Coastal Restoration Fund) focused on coastal habitats for capelin, arctic char and salmon, is tasked with coordinating effective coastal restoration and enhancement work at a series of sites in Newfoundland and Labrador. The initial phase involves engaging stakeholders, reaching out to sources of traditional, local and other expert knowledge, and acquiring relevant data and information on priority species, other biotic features, existing degradation, threats and underlying physical geography. One of the primary outputs of this phase is the identification and prioritization of potential sites. Prioritization will be supported by a weighted scoring approach that estimates the relative suitability of each potential site, and documents the contributing factors. This talk will provide project background, describe the prioritization process and invite the audience to contribute their expertise, for instance by suggesting or discussing potential candidate sites or sources of knowledge. Possible activities include, but are not limited to, beach substrate replenishment and smoothing, erosion control, vegetation planting, invasive species control, river barrier removal, and fish ladder installation.