Gulf Islands forests without intervention – interactions between plantation forests, bare understory and overabundant deer
The Galiano Conservancy Association (GCA) is excited to announce a new, ambitious collaborative project that we are calling “Restoring the Balance”, (RTB). The goal of this project is to improve the health and resilience of Galiano’s forest ecosystems through community-led stewardship activities and training opportunities with local Indigenous rights holders.
We do so in recognition that, since time immemorial, the lands and waters that comprise Galiano Island have sustained and been stewarded by Indigenous Peoples, many of whose descendants are active members of the community on Galiano, Penelakut, and neighbouring areas. Colonization, residential schools, and government policies interrupted critical relationships between and among Indigenous Peoples and to their culture, language, and territories. Conservation organizations have also played a role in this dispossession, often restricting Indigenous access, stewardship, and harvesting activities in protected areas.
The GCA is committed to meaningful reconciliation, and this project has grown out of a series of shared initiatives between the GCA and several Indigenous families over the past decade. In working to scale up these initiatives to steward ecosystems on Galiano, we have identified several critical barriers, including: lack of safety training and proper credentials in key skilled trades, lack of learning opportunities to pass on traditional knowledge, restricted access to land for hunting and stewardship activities, lack of clear guidance on ecological management for private landowners, and insufficient outreach to key community stakeholders. We are convinced that coordinated action and investments in capacity building – led by Indigenous People and supported by the Galiano Conservancy’s land base and organizational infrastructure – provides a strong path forward. RTB is an Indigenous-led project with three components: Stewardship of Forests; Stewardship of Island Deer; and Stewardship of the Understory.
Stewardship of Forests focuses on addressing the damage caused by decades of destructive logging practices on Galiano Island. The legacy of industrial forestry has resulted in the establishment of plantation monoculture forests across Galiano that receive little to no management and have high fuel loads. These forests create a heightened risk of wildfire for our community, and are unable to support a diversified local forest economy. Our hope is that forging partnerships and building capacity to apply “fire-wise” ecological forestry can reduce wildfire risk, promote biodiversity, increase forest productivity, and lay the foundations for a local, small-scale sustainable forest industry.
Stewardship of Deer focuses on returning balance to the island deer population. Deer are hyperabundant on Galiano due to lack of predators and reduced hunting pressure, resulting in negative impacts to the structure, function, and diversity of island ecosystems – as well as posing safety and disease concerns. RTB intends to work with hunters and willing private landowners to create safe hunting corridors on Galiano Island for Indigenous-led hunting. These activities will provide high-quality traditional food to Indigenous families and elders, while also creating mentorship opportunities for youth interested in safe hunting practices.
Stewardship of the understory focuses on the revitalization of biodiversity on the forest floor. The goal is to facilitate projects and programs that bring Indigenous Families and Knowledge Holders together to share traditional foods, medicines, and material practices. Activities will include establishing native food and medicine gardens, offering workshops, and hosting community events.
We are so excited to roll out this project, working together to improve the health, productivity, and resilience of Galiano’s forest ecosystems. We will begin posting updates on our website and hosting events soon! In the meantime, feel free to reach out to restoringthebalance@galianoconservancy.ca to learn more. We especially want to hear from community members who own forest lands on the island and are interested in pursuing ecological forestry, Indigenous-led hunting, and other proactive stewardship activities on their lands.
Thank you to the Gencon Foundation for supporting this ambitious and innovative project, and for everyone who provided feedback, letters of support, and encouragement! We have a lot of good work to do together in the coming years.
Relationship between healthy forests, healthy understory and healthy deer populations if we work together to improve stewardship
