by Chris Moss, resident of Otter Point

While humans tend to think about ourselves as occupying some sort of special place on earth, we are really just another animal depending on Earth’s sustenance. All the animals in our ecosphere depend on water for survival. 

Migrating populations have taken 10,000 years of stability to adapt their species to the climate. In the last 200 years, humans have changed that climate forever and fish and animals are having a tough time adapting on short notice.

The return of the salmon along British Columbia’s coast is one of the largest migrations on the planet. For thousands of years, it has provided food for marine mammals, bears, eagles, First Nations, and the forest ecosystem.

In the fall, salmon wait offshore for fresh water from the rivers to signal them to swim upstream to their spawning beds. The reduced flow in rivers can keep them circling near shore a long time in the ocean. The warming ocean can make them more susceptible to disease.

Longer, dryer summers will delay the spawning process and low water levels upstream can spell disaster for an entire spawning year. For thousands of years, the fall rains have come at a predictable time, but humans have changed that predictability and the salmon will have to adapt quickly to survive. If they cannot, we lose more than just fish. The salmon feed thousands of animals during their return to Vancouver Island.  Whales, seals, wolves, bears and eagles all depend on the regular return of the salmon. The carcasses of dead salmon fertilize the banks of their spawning rivers and help to build a robust and diverse habitat.

Bears are being impacted by warming temperatures as well. Bears “hibernate” in winter after filling up in the fall once the cold reduces food sources. But here on the South Island, with warming temperatures, no snowpacks, no fish and perhaps no berries due to heat-kill the bears will remain hungry and actively looking for food all year round. If the bear and cougar populations dwindle, the deer population may explode.

Bird and insect migrations are already being disrupted by changing weather patterns.  Climate change has disrupted the subtle clues birds use to know it is time to migrate. Areas that were once too cold for summer habitat are now moving north and birds are following the temperatures and the food. Animals that have never been seen in our far north, like beavers, are starting to be seen there. Some tundra lakes have disappeared, and some have grown as permafrost melts. This will throw bird populations off their traditional wintering areas. Local birds may choose not to migrate at all as warming conditions continue. Some animals will not adapt and will die off while others will flourish.  Drying summers will encourage more reptiles like snakes and lizards to inhabit our area.  Those that depend on lots of rain and moisture, however, will have a tougher time surviving. 

Watching over our watersheds and creeks and streams and rivers will help us to monitor the overall health of our biodiversity on the South Island. It will create a data base of information to predict changes to the natural water flows. Rain and precipitation are crucial to the health of our animals and our forests. Once again, the quality and persistence of our lives is based on water.