The Bay of Quinte Remedial Action Plan (BQRAP) held its first meeting of the fall season on September 23. Council members welcomed Dr. Bruce Anderson of Queen’s University in Kingston, and his guest presenters from East China Normal University – Dr. Yuan Lin and Professor Zhang Liquan. Both are from the State Key Laboratory of Estuary and Coastal Research in Shanghai. Dr. Lydia Lifongo, Assistant Lecturer in Chemistry at the University of Buea in Cameroon attended as an observer. Dr. Lifongo is also Team Coordinator of a local NGO called Community Watershed Development Alliance Cameroon.
Remedial Action Plans or RAPs have been in place in Canada for many years now. But such is not the case in other parts of the world. In China, however, remedial action is rapidly gaining profile as scientists grapple with the country’s not-insignificant environmental problems. Dr. Lin and Professor Liquan are visiting Canada to see firsthand examples of remediation in action. Quinte RAP is an excellent example.
Terry Murphy, BQRAP Co-chair, gave an introductory presentation in which he outlined the history of Conservation Authorities and Remedial Action Plans. He elaborated on the concept of watershed-based management, and pointed out that it is watershed boundaries, not political boundaries, which dictate the remedial actions to be implemented.
Professor Zhang Liquan’s presentation focused on the loss, impacts, and restoration of coastal wetlands in the Yangtze estuary, Shanghai. It was interesting to note that an invasive species of aquatic vegetation in the Yangtze estuary actually comes from North America. Invasives, unfortunately, circumnavigate the globe. Coastal wetlands are a prime concern for Quinte RAP; they must be demonstrably healthy before a change of status can take place. Dr. Yuan Lin’s presentation – Remote Sensing Monitoring of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Coverage on a Large Spatial Scale – showed how advanced techniques can be used to restore and protect coastal wetlands.
RAP Implementation Manager Jeff Borisko says he would welcome more members of the international scientific community to future meetings of the Restoration Council. “It does us a lot of good to see how environmental problems are handled in the rest of the world. Other countries struggle with similar issues, such as coastal wetland loss and degradation.”
Contact: Jeff Borisko, Implementation Manager
613.394.3915 Ext. 213
jboriskobqrap.ca
Dr. Yuan Lin, State Key Laboratory of Estuary and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai, addressed the BQRAP Restoration Council on September 23.
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