446929

This is an application for a park use permit for 7 research projects under the larger NSERC Alliance Grant Proposal: Alpine Horizons: Integrative Solutions for Sustainable Management in Changing Climates and Recreation in partnership with BC Parks, the S?wx_wú7mesh (Squamish) Nation, University of Victoria (UVic), University of British Columbia (UBC), and Simon Fraser University (SFU). All co-applicant PIs leading research projects are listed as individuals on this application, and each project has a separate management plan detailing research activities. Broadly, the goal of this partnership is to co-develop integrative assessment tools that will be used by partner organizations to make evidence-based decisions regarding the management of natural resources, the protection of natural habitats, Indigenous stewardship practices and geo-hazards risk management in mountain systems. This will be achieved by documenting 1) the continued use by First Nations, 2) current and historical composition of biological communities and 3) the ongoing impact of global changes. Our team, composed of academic researchers, and staff from the Squamish Nation and British Columbia (BC) Parks, have together designed research projects to address these complex questions for the BC southwest Coast Mountains. This project aims to showcase how a cross-sectoral evaluation of the cumulative impact of recreation and climate change on alpine ecosystems could support successful co-management and reconciliation. It will provide new information for the conservation of these ecosystems while balancing benefits for all Canadians and training personnel to work at the interface of people and places.