— from Laurie Gourlay for the Times Colonist —

This is a legacy moment for the Salish Sea, and for all of us who live by the shores of this important, biodiverse and world-class inner ocean. Right now, we have a chance to protect it as a World Heritage Site, and to set development plans in place so our West Coast inheritance becomes the model for 21st-century marine initiatives everywhere.

And there are a lot of marine protected areas to come. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised to protect five per cent of Canada’s coast by 2017 and 10 per cent by 2020. U.S. President Barack Obama has already set the pace this past month in Hawaii and the Atlantic. Add to this commitments coming out of Washington, D.C.’s recent Our Ocean Conference.

Many sea-reliant countries are worried, calling for increased ocean restoration and protection measures in light of climate change and disturbing news on the decline of the health and productivity of the oceans we increasingly depend upon.

(Laurie Gourlay is interim director of the Salish Sea Trust. To read the full article, go to  timescolonist.com/opinion/the-salish-sea-a-world-heritage-site )

Thanks to Thom Carnevale

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