WWF Skeena Cumulative Effects Assessment (SCEA) - Evaluating and Ranking Vulnerability of Species to Stressors from Multiple Human Activities

Cumulative effects assessment is gaining momentum as a desirable tool for improving resource decision-making, particularly in northern British Columbia. One of the key recommendations of the Marine Planning Partnership for the North Pacific Coast (MAPP) is that a cumulative effects study be completed in the north coast of B.C. This project is focusing on four key species in the Skeena watershed and estuary: Chinook salmon, eulachon, eelgrass and Northern Resident Killer Whales. The project considers a number of physical, biological and chemical stressors associated with multiple human activities, including both current and foreseeable future activities. Climate change influences on the species are also assessed. The products from the project will include a set of relative vulnerability scores for different stressors and gridded maps of cumulative effects scores, by species. This information can potentially inform integrated decision-making by providing additional information on the relative vulnerabilities of each species to stressors, and on potential cumulative effects on species from anthropogenic threats as they overlap in space and time. Lessons learned include the challenges of aligning issues of approach and methodology to relevant decision-making scales.