Announcing the 2025 Biosphere Research Awards

Haoom Fisheries Biosphere Research AwardCredits: Ha’oom Fisheries Society

We’re excited to announce the recipients of the 2025 Biosphere Research Awards! This year, the CBT has granted $38K to support three amazing projects. This funding stream supports initiatives that address key species or ecosystem threats, focus on reversing degradation trends, and promote conservation actions with broad application. Each program aligns with First Nations priorities and protocols, upholds the spirit of the UNESCO Biosphere designation, and shares research findings publicly.

We deeply appreciate the efforts of the Research and Environment Advisory Committee, a group of dedicated local volunteers who carefully reviewed every application. Special thanks to the Tofino Resort & Marina for partially funding the Ha’oom Fisheries Society, making their vital project possible.

To learn more about the projects below or to connect with the project leaders, email colin@clayoquotbiosphere.org.  

2025 Biosphere Research Award Projects

A feast bowl, Ha'uukmin: Abundant futures for the ha'wii'h of ƛaʔuukʷiʔat haḥuułi | Ha’oom Fisheries Society

Haʔukmin (The Great Feast Bowl), also referred to as the Kennedy Watershed, is part of Clayoquot Sound. Kennedy Lake is the largest lake on Vancouver Island and supports dwindling numbers of miʕaat (sockeye), cuw̓it (coho), and hink̓uuʔas (chum), and suuḥaa (chinook) have severely declined. Unsustainable industrial harvests have depleted salmonid populations, logging and highway development have disrupted terrestrial habitat, and climate-induced changes have altered the hydrologic cycles in the haʔukmin.

Within living memory of ƛaʔuukʷiʔatḥ (Tla-o-qui-aht), the Haʔukmin has changed from an abundant ancestral garden to a place of scarcity. Canadian rebuilding plans for salmonids in haʔukmin have largely been paper exercises that document decline, focus on abundance, and set the population status requirement for action at the critical level. Revitalizing Haʔukmin requires a new approach to the development of a rebuilding plan for depleted populations of salmonids. Through collaboration, community interviews, and mentorship, Ha’oom will develop a plan led by ƛaʔuukʷiʔatḥ values and traditions, working to return haʔukmin to the Great Feast Bowl.

Grey Whale Drone Photogrammetry Project | Marine Education and Research Society (MERS)

We know who the grey whales are that visit the West Coast of Vancouver Island, but the question is: “How are they doing?”. The Pacific Coast Feeding Group (PCFG) grey whales are the individuals that feed off the West Coast of Vancouver Island during the foraging season. By flying a drone above the whales to capture aerial imagery, the Marine Education and Research Society (MERS) is then able to take measurements of the whales. These measurements are processed and used to calculate a Body Area Index, a metric that can be used to determine the condition of the whale.

Over an initial 3-year period, MERS will assess the condition of multiple PCFG grey whales at different times of year. This will help build a clearer picture of their seasonal shift in condition, start to unpick the year-to-year variations, aid them in understanding growth rates, detect pregnancies, and develop a clearer picture of the foraging techniques used in specific foraging habitats. By focusing on the health and habits of individuals, MERS will be able to start to answer the question, "How are the PCFG grey whales doing?".

ƛaʔuukʷiʔatḥ Nation Kelp Restoration | Redd Fish Restoration Society

Thriving in the cold and nutrient-rich waters of Clayoquot Sound are a diverse suite of kelp species, creating lush underwater forests that provide the threads for a rich tapestry of life.

Redd Fish Restoration Society is collaborating with the ƛaʔuukʷiʔatḥ First Nation and West Coast Kelp to restore kelp forest habitats and increase biodiversity throughout the ƛaʔuukʷiʔatḥ hahuułi. For this project, they will be trialing two novel kelp restoration techniques and an innovative biodiversity monitoring protocol.

Announcing the 2024 Biosphere Research Award

August 29, 2024
We are excited to announce the recipients of the 2024 Biosphere Research Award. This year, the CBT awarded $20,000 in funding to Ha’oom Fisheries Society for their Coho Vitality Project.

Announcing the 2024 Research & Environment Grants

August 29, 2024
We're excited to announce the recipients of the 2024 Research and Environment grants. This year, the CBT awarded over $36,000 in funding to six inspiring projects in the region. These projects address threats to key species and ecosystems and uplift nuučaan̓uł (Nuu-chah-nulth) ways of knowing. Efforts also focus on habitat conservation, restoration, and protection for ecologically and culturally important species and ecosystems.

Regional Forum

November 20, 2023
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.

Clayoquot Biosphere Project Storymap

March 24, 2022
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).

Clayoquot Sound Oceanographic Conditions: University of Washington Tacoma Study

June 30, 2021
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.

Reflections on the book "Communities, Conservation and Livelihoods"

April 22, 2021
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.