About Us
Coastal temperate rain forests are distinguished by a set of dynamic links between terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The forest influences the abundance and distribution of coastal sea life, and a number of species reciprocate by carrying marine nutrients back into the coastal watersheds.
More about coastal temperate rain forests.
Ecotrust’s survey of the "rain forests of home" began with the 1992 publication of Coastal Temperate Rain Forests: Ecological Characteristics, Status, and Distribution Worldwide. That work led us to identify British Columbia’s Kitlope as the world's largest intact temperate rain forest watershed and to seek collaboration with the Haisla First Nation, whose traditional territory includes the Kitlope. Our joint efforts spurred the 1994 designation of the 800,000-acre Kitlope Heritage Conservancy Protected Area (Huchsduwachsdu Nuyem Jees), under joint Haisla and B.C. Provincial management.
Since those early years, Ecotrust’s areas of research and analysis have multiplied greatly, while remaining rooted in this region. We’ve supported the work of Ecotrust Canada’s Aboriginal Mapping Network in providing resources to indigenous communities. And we partnered with the Wild Salmon Center to launch the State of the Salmon consortium, assembling the big picture of salmon status and trends across the North Pacific. Along the way, our toolkit has expanded beyond GIS to include methods such as: agro-ecological assessment, life-cycle assessment, integrated socioeconomic valuation, ecosystem service valuation, growth and yield modeling, land-use planning and more.
Ecotrust remains committed to an open development philosophy and to democratizing access to spatial analysis technologies and platforms. In 1999, we partnered to develop the Conservation GIS Starter Kit as a stand-alone workbook of tutorials, and for years, Inforain has served as a clearinghouse for data about the region. More recently, we have joined in utilizing and promoting open-source tools for spatial analysis. We will continue to seek open, adaptive and collaborative frameworks for building an ever greater understanding of this region’s nearshore marine areas, watersheds, and agricultural and forestlands.
We welcome your suggestions and feedback:
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