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Background
The
Harbours Ecological Inventory and Rating (HEIR) project is an initiative
of the Victoria and Esquimalt Harbours Environmental Action Program
(VEHEAP), an intergovernmental program
with a mission to protect and improve the environmental quality
of the harbours. The HEIR is an information tool designed to assist
with the environmental management of the harbours and adjacent lands
by providing materials to aid in land and water use decisions, support
actions to protect against further habitat degradation in the harbours,
and improve the effectiveness of efforts to restore and enhance
harbour ecosystems. The areas covered by the HEIR are Victoria Harbour,
the Gorge Waterway, Portage Inlet, Esquimalt Harbour and Esquimalt
Lagoon.
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The objectives
of the HEIR are to:
- inventory
the harbours physical and biological features
- rate
those features for their ecological value, and
- identify
priority areas for restoration and protection.
All the HEIR
information is stored in a relational database that is geographically
linked to harbour maps using a Geographic Information System (GIS). Through
the use of GIS, users are able to perform specific queries to retrieve
and display spatial inventory information and results. Additionally, underwater
video footage, taken as part of the inventory, has been geographically
linked to the GIS maps and can also be played back to show specific underwater
features. Due to the complexity of the project, the HEIR is being conducted
in three phases:
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- Phase
1 - Intertidal and Backshore.
Phase 1 covers the intertidal zone (high tide to low tide) and
the backshore area (roughly 50 m from the high tide line or to
the nearest street). The shoreline is divided into discreet units
and the database contains inventory information on the intertidal
biology and habitat, the backshore biology and habitat, and land
use information for each shore unit. Each shore unit has been
assigned an ecological rating value, which is based on the diversity
of obvious species, habitat diversity, naturalness of the habitat
and the importance of the unit to key life cycle activities of
major species. Shore units with characteristics that merit special
action were then rated as a priority for protection or restoration.
Phase 1 has been completed for all areas of the harbour. In 2002
Phase 1 Intertidal and Backshore was updated and reformatted to
a web-based mapping and databse product.
A downloadable PDF version of the Harbours Ecological Inventory
and Rating: Phase 1 Intertidal and Backshore, January 2000 is
also available: report, appendices,
plate 1, plate
2.
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- Phase
2 - Subtidal.
Phase 2 covers the subtidal portion (below the low water mark)
of the harbours. This phase is currently underway and, as with
Phase 1, will include an inventory and rating of the biological
and physical features followed by the identification of priority
areas for protection and remediation. Using underwater video
imagery
of the seabed the subtidal biological features (i.e. vegetation
cover, eelgrass, kelps, algae, oysters, clams and other epifauna,
etc.) and physical features (i.e. substrate type, sediment class,
gravel and shell content, man-made and vegetative debris, etc.)
were classified and mapped. The inventory portion of Phase 2
is
complete for Portage Inlet, the Gorge Waterway, and Esquimalt
Lagoon and these reports can be viewed on-line;
a CD-ROM version is also available. Similar surveys for Victoria
and Esquimalt Harbours are being conducted by Transport Canada
and will be incorporated into the overall HEIR project upon completion.
Once the full subtidal inventory is obtained for all areas of
the harbour, the biological and physical features will be rated
for their ecological value and priority areas for protection and
restoration will be identified.
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- Phase
3 - Production of Final HEIR Product. The final phase of the HEIR
is the production of a web-based mappnig tool that is easy to use, update
and maintain and access. Phase 3 will consist of the amalgamation of
the Phase 1 and Phase 2 data sets, and the integration of other ecological
information for the harbours such as bird surveys and sediment sampling
data. The intent is that the final product will be developed for web-based
distribution and access.
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To obtain
more information about the HEIR or VEHEAP please contact:
Jody Watson
VEHEAP Coordinator
524 Yates Street
Victoria, B.C.
V8W 2S6
Phone: (250)
360-3065
Fax: (250) 360-3270
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