Biodiversity is a hot topic this month as world leaders convene in Montreal for The Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15). Much of our work relates to conservation of critical habitat for species at risk to help save the habitat and reduce biodiversity loss in the Thompson Watershed.

One of our core programs is a multi-year, collaborative initiative with the Okanagan Collaborative Conservation Program. The Conservation Planning for Climate Change in the Thompson Okanagan initiative connects conservation planning, Indigenous knowledge and climate change modelling to support sustainable land use decision-making.

As populations grow and land is developed, key natural areas are being lost. The lands, rivers, lakes and streams which are threatened are home to a variety of at-risk plants and animals; they provide clean water and food to communities and have cultural significance to Indigenous Peoples.

The Conservation Planning for Climate Change initiative will combine Indigenous ecological and cultural knowledge and western science to identify natural areas across the Thompson Okanagan that need more protection.

Work on the initiative is ramping up with Indigenous engagement well underway in an area around Kamloops. Meanwhile, resources are being added to the team at the University of British Columbia – Okanagan which will be collecting ecological and climate-related data to interweave with the Indigenous knowledge. By combining this Indigenous knowledge and western science, and with the use of mapping technology and computer simulations of future changes to climate, the natural areas that require increased conservation efforts will be identified.

Read more about Conservation Planning for Climate Change.

This initiative has been made possible thanks to our funders.