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2020 Rating

2020 Rationale

Sea level rise and storm surges will continue to negatively impact shorelines in Átl’ḵa7tsem/Txwnéwu7ts/Howe Sound; however, the degree of impact will vary depending on location in the Sound.

Shoreline Erosion and Sea Level Rise 2020 Article

2017 Rating

2017 Rationale

Armoring of Howe Sound’s shoreline puts homes, businesses and ecosystems at risk from ocean levels rising due to climate change. Research and education in Howe Sound has started but change is slow. The Green Shores approach can be useful, restoring coastal areas to a more natural state, using vegetation to reinforce coastal areas to preserve aquatic ecosystems, preventing erosion and protecting communities.

Shorelines and Sea Level Rise 2017 Article

The following is an excerpt from the full updated article. Download the full 2020 article for all content and references.

Shoreline Erosion and Sea Level Rise

Author: Aroha Miller, Manager, Ocean Watch, Ocean Wise Research Institute

Reviewers: DG Blair, Executive Director, Stewardship Centre for BC

Jaime Dubyna, Planner, Northern Office, Islands Trust

Excerpt from 2020 article

Sea Level Rise is causing concern for waterfront property owners and communities within Átl’ḵa7tsem/Txwnéwu7ts/ Howe Sound due to higher waters encroaching on properties and carrying away shoreline materials such as sand and pebbles, a process known as shoreline erosion. Sea Level Rise is a relatively slow process and therefore the effects from storm surges will be seen before the direct impacts of SLR are noticed.

Read the full article to see what else is happening.

Story Map

Background: View looking towards the mouth of Átl’ḵa7tsem/Txwnéwu7ts/Howe Sound. (Credit: Tracey Saxby, Visual Science)

What’s been done since 2017?

The table below reports on progress made on recommended actions from the previous 2017 article, where identified. Many of these require ongoing action.

2017 Action

Action Taken

Individual and Organization Actions

Adopt Green Shores approach as a policy.

Use Green Shores approaches for protecting and enhancing public shorelines in communities.

Join the Green Shores Local Government Working Group for Green Shores support and resources.

These actions are addressed by the following:

The number of queries received by Green Shores has increased over the past few years, from both communities and private landowners throughout the Sound.

These have not translated into enrolled projects.

What can you do?

A detailed overview of recommended actions relating to climate change is included in The path to zero carbon municipalities. In some cases, no progress was identified on previous recommended actions; these remain listed below. Additional actions marked as NEW also follow.

Individual and Organization Actions:

- Educate yourself on how to care for your shoreline using the resources provided below.

Government Action and Policy:

- NEW Identify areas at high risk for shoreline erosion, flooding and landslides.
- NEW Limit and manage development in these areas, e.g., building restrictions, setback limits.
- NEW Incentivise or offset costs of shoreline stabilization of public assets, e.g., soft shore armouring.

Download

Shoreline Erosion and Sea Level Rise 2020 Article

Shorelines and Sea Level Rise 2017 Article

Full OWHS 2020 Report