Open Collections

Increasing Riparian Habitat and Ecosystem Function in Lost Lagoon through Shoreline Restoration

Bull, Megan; Faulkner, Luke; Liu, Majella; Newman, Elli; Tang, Yang

Lost Lagoon is a shallow, brackish body of water located in Stanley Park, Vancouver and is visited by many park-goers each day due to its proximity to downtown Vancouver. Originally a coastal saltmarsh, Lost Lagoon was isolated into a freshwater impoundment by the construction of the Stanley Park Causeway in 1916. Due to its unnatural formation and periodic inflow of saltwater, Lost Lagoon has remained a low-productivity ecosystem, primarily occupied by invasive vegetation, fish, and herptile species. Additionally, the area is currently plagued by a variety of ecological issues including excessive sediment infilling and high quantities of contaminated runoff. The objective of this document is to propose a detailed restoration plan for Lost Lagoon which would involve deconstructing a portion of the ‘concrete beach’ located in the South-West section of Lost Lagoon and undertaking native planting. The restoration plan would create a more natural shoreline with a sustainable riparian habitat while still enabling community members and visitors to interact positively with the area. A methodology for this project was developed based on several restoration frameworks from the literature. As part of this process the current social, economic and ecological values in Lost Lagoon were identified. Also, a stakeholder consultation process was undertaken to ensure that as many points of view as possible are taken into consideration. Site monitoring was undertaken, and water quality data was collected to determine both the site and water conditions and used to guide plant selection and restoration strategy. Together with the restoration frameworks from the literature, data collection and analysis, as well as stakeholder values and opinions a restoration plan was developed. This plan was crafted to meet the following goals: • Increase native shoreline planting • Improve water quality • Increase habitat for flora and fauna • Reduce undesirable human-shoreline interactions This restoration proposal was developed in collaboration with and for the Stanley Park Ecology Society and is intended to be presented to the Vancouver Park Board for consideration.

Report

eng

2020-04-24

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/74140

Unreviewed

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/