Dynamic coastal dune restoration and spatial-temporal monitoring at the Wickaninnish Dunes, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, British Columbia, Canada
Date
2019-01-02
Authors
Darke, Ian
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Abstract
This dissertation presents the results of a multi-year interdisciplinary study of a dynamic coastal dune ecosystem restoration effort in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve in British Columbia, Canada. The research is the result of a collaboration with Parks Canada Agency (PCA) who, under the Species at Risk Act (SARA), are mandated to restore habitat for SARA listed species within the dune complex. In response, PCA committed to, and implemented, a dynamic dune ecosystem restoration program that involved widespread removal of invasive vegetation (Ammophila spp.), transplanting of native vegetation, introduction of an endangered species, and volunteer programs to prevent re-growth of Ammophila. A comprehensive monitoring program was developed with PCA and undertaken by the author and PCA collaborators from start of the project in Summer 2008 to Fall of 2012. This dissertation is the product of independent research by the author carried out under the supervision of the advisory committee and does not reproduce written materials prepared for, or by, PCA. The dissertation consists of three separate journal manuscripts (the first two published by completion of the dissertation) that stand alone as independent investigations but are structured here to provide a natural progression of research findings and allow for an overall synthesis of ideas and broader contributions of the research.
The dune restoration program afforded an opportunity to review restoration trends and methods and implement a strategy and monitoring protocols based on leading edge science. Accordingly, the first manuscript, Chapter 2, summarises recent trends in coastal dune restoration, discusses relevant research surrounding beach-dune morphodynamics and coastal dune activity, and reviews preliminary data from the project. The study identifies usable control data for the project and builds the criteria for assessing the project as a whole.
The second manuscript, Chapter 3, presents and analyses the core data obtained for the dissertation - 5 years of geomorphic monitoring from detailed land surveys with 3 years of analysis of beach-foredune-transgressive dune sediment budget responses derived from aerial LiDAR surveys. This chapter identifies several trends in the dune systems’ response to restoration that, with reference to the indicators developed in Chapter 2, suggest improved levels of dynamism in the landscape.
Finally, Chapter 4 (manuscript 3), extends the findings of the restoration study and utilises the rich data set obtained from the restoration program to develop a dynamic mapping technique that better conveys the spatial-temporal morphodynamic behaviour of dune ecosystems. The study comments broadly on the potential to apply these data and techniques to the study of disturbance events in beach-dune systems. The dissertation is concluded (Chapter 5) with an overall summary of key research objectives and contributions, and presents recommendations for future research.
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Keywords
Coastal dunes, Restoration, Sediment budgets, Morphodynamics, Invasive vegetation, Disturbance