Research Blog

On Wednesday, October 18th, 2023 the Clayoquot Biosphere Trust facilitated a regional forum. Over 65 individuals convened virtually and in person on Tla-o-qui-aht territory at TinWis, fostering meaningful connections, sharing insights, and cultivating strong relationships. Participants included representatives from First Nations, local governments, organizations, businesses and individuals involved in environmental research, stewardship, restoration, and sustainable development.

We are excited to share an exciting new StoryMap that shares a foundational chapter in science and conservation history on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Back in the 1990s, west coast residents created a grass-roots environmental research organization called the Clayoquot Biosphere Project (CBP).

Since 2017, the Clayoquot Biosphere Trust has collaborated with the University of Washington Tacoma to conduct ongoing water-quality research on the physical, chemical and biological oceanographic conditions in the fjords of Barkley and Clayoquot Sounds. UW Tacoma has been conducting this research in the region since 2000 and have a vast collection of data as a result. This partnership is mutually beneficial as it provides us with a broader knowledge of local conditions as well as giving the students real world data collection and analysis experience.

The book Communities, Conservation and Livelihoods, edited by Anthony Charles, is an account of these community stories recently co-published by the Community Conservation Research Network and the IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEEP). When taken together, these community experiences demonstrate how each community in its own unique way has learned the value of working together when guided by shared conservation principles and partnerships for mobilizing support for local economic and ecological solutions.

Since 2015, the CBT has granted an annual Biosphere Research Award of up to $20,000 to local research projects that will help enhance the vitality of our intertwined ecosystems and communities.

The CBT collaborates with the University of Washington-Tacoma to conduct ongoing water-quality research on the physical, chemical and biological oceanographic conditions in the fjords of Barkley and Clayoquot Sounds.

We are excited to announce that the 2020 Biosphere Research Award will help support a large research collaboration to better understand juvenile Chinook salmon survival and growth during their first year of life in the freshwater and marine environments of West Coast Vancouver Island (WCVI).