British Columbia’s renowned Hakai Institute is playing a critical role as a partner in The Nature Trust of British Columbia’s Enhancing Estuary Resilience Project.

The five-year project to improve estuary habitat and enhance the long-term sustainability and health of Pacific salmon stocks, will monitor, research and assess estuary resilience to sea-level rise at 15 sites on Vancouver Island, the Central Coast and Haida Gwaii.

Hakai is known for its world class ecological observatory on Calvert Island on the Central Coast of B.C., one of the leading centres for coastal research in Canada. A second ecological observatory on Quadra Island sits at the junction of three ocean influences: the Salish Sea to the south, Johnstone Strait and the Pacific Ocean to the northwest, and Bute Inlet and its icefields to the north. Hakai will draw on its depth of knowledge in long term ecological research and technology to bring an interdisciplinary approach to the estuary project’s data management, quality assurance and quality control.

Hakai will also share the project’s story through the eyes of the videographers and photographers with Hakai Media. Its highly-skilled media team will capture the remarkable beauty of estuaries throughout B.C. through photography and virtual video tours. They will also record first-hand accounts of the project’s scientists and field technicians to create a memorable, immersive experience.

The Hakai Institute is part of the Tula Foundation — an independent charitable foundation. The Hakai Institute is a set of interlocking programs that blend technology and science to better understand the coastal margin of British Columbia and beyond.

For more information, check out www.hakai.org.