Port of Vancouver: preserving our natural environment for generations to come

The Port of Vancouver has the ambitious goal of becoming the most sustainable port in the world. A significant part of the path towards this goal is connected to sustaining a healthy ecosystem for the local biodiversity. The port is developing a myriad of actions to protect the local species and managing the port lands and water in a sustainable way, including a broad Habitat Enhancement Program developed over the past 30 years. In this interview we will learn about the different projects implemented to protect and enhance the local biodiversity. Interview with Duncan Wilson, Vice-President of Environment and External Affairs at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority AIVP – Vessel traffic is at the origin of some disturbances for animals, such as underwater noise or ship-generated waves. We have heard of your motivation to reduce underwater noise, mostly linked to famous initiatives such as the “ECHO” Program, aimed at reducing such negative effects. Could you tell us more about this program? Duncan Wilson, Vice-President of Environment and External Affairs, Port of Vancouver – The Salish Sea, where the Port of Vancouver is located, is a richly diverse area of the Pacific Ocean that is home to a vast array of marine life including some endangered species like the Southern Resident killer whale (SRKW). With thousands of ships transiting through this area en route to the Port of Vancouver, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority launched the Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) Program in 2014 to better understand and reduce the cumulative effects of shipping on this local whale population.Recognizing that underwater noise from commercial ships can interfere with the southern resident killer whales’ ability to hunt, navigate, and communicate, the program encourages ships to voluntarily slow down or stay distanced in order to reduce underwater noise while transiting through critical southern resident killer whale foraging areas. Since the first slowdown in 2017, more than 6,000 ships have participated in the ECHO Program’s voluntary underwater noise reduction initiatives, which span across 74 nautical miles of the Salish Sea. In 2020, these initiatives helped achieve a nearly 50% reduction in underwater sound intensity in certain southern resident killer whale foraging areas. Echo program @ Port of Vancouver We are tremendously proud of the broad awareness the ECHO Program has helped generate about the issue of underwater noise, and we are especially excited that a sister program – called the Quiet Sound program – is launching in the state of Washington, USA, inspired by our program. We are working to encourage further underwater noise reduction efforts at ports around the world. AIVP – Invasive species are one of the most dangerous threats to local biodiversity. It is a common phenomenon in port cities welcoming many ships, carrying ballast waters with foreign species. It has been evaluated that around 30-35% of endangered biodiversity is due to invasive species. What policies are you implementing to prevent such issues? Duncan Wilson, Vice-president of Environment and External Affairs – We monitor the lands and waters within our jurisdiction for invasive plants and other aquatic invasive species and conduct management and removal efforts as appropriate, as well as annually contribute to the physical and chemical removal of spartina, an invasive cord grass that has impacted our shorelines. @ Port of Vancouver To prevent the transfer…