Shae Denny expresses astonishment that local conservation endeavors in Cape Breton are gaining global recognition. Denny, an aquatic programs manager at the Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources, representing Cape Breton’s Mi’kmaw community, finds the acknowledgment deeply significant. He emphasizes the community’s longstanding role as land stewards.
The United Nations recently commended a seven-year project involving scientists, Indigenous groups, and volunteers in Cape Breton Highlands National Park. This initiative by Parks Canada received the prestigious World Restoration Flagship from the UN, highlighting it as one of the world’s most promising large-scale ecosystem restoration efforts.
Initiated in 2010, Respectful Returns is a collaborative initiative between Parks Canada and Indigenous and local communities aimed at rejuvenating rivers and streams nationwide. The project has successfully restored over 65,000 hectares of land and 228 kilometers of waterways across seven national parks.
Denny, a member of the Eskasoni First Nation, points out that the Mi’kmaq community identified the declining salmon population in Cape Breton as early as the 1950s. This led to the establishment of a salmon advisory committee involving Eskasoni Fish and Wildlife, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and local river associations to address the issue collectively.
The restoration program in Cape Breton Highlands National Park commenced in 2019 after witnessing a significant decline in the salmon population over several decades. Park ecologist Sarah Penney noted that by the 1990s and early 2000s, the number of adult salmon returning from the ocean had drastically reduced to about 10 annually due to high mortality rates among young salmon.
To reverse this trend, Parks Canada and its partners began capturing juvenile salmon from the Chéticamp River and Clyburn Brook each spring, nurturing them in captivity until they were ready for release back into their natural habitat. This hands-on approach yielded positive results, with the salmon numbers meeting the conservation benchmark of 75 for the first time in three decades.
While Parks Canada received the flagship honor in December, an event on July 16 recognized the key contributors in Cape Breton, including the Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources, the Atlantic Salmon Federation, and local salmon associations. Bill Haley, vice-president of the Margaree Salmon Association, highlighted the group’s contribution in constructing a smolt wheel on the Chéticamp River for capturing and monitoring migrating fish.
Haley expressed pride in being acknowledged alongside global initiatives like major reforestation projects in Papua New Guinea, emphasizing the significance of the award and the collaborative efforts involved.
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