Any study about Ecological Sustainability should acknowledge the positive and negative contributions to this goal by human actions and inaction in the near past of British Columbia. Acts of individuals or governments through the years could be targeted which have had significant effects in contribution in this area.It is probably easier to find examples showing the opposite, but we must attempt to point out the positive and try to encourage more.
- First Nations, an integral part of the ecosystem. Cultural practices which ensured sustainability of marine resources must be emphasized.
Problems issues:
- early fisheries using “endless” bountiful resources
- logging impacting on watersheds and therefore sediment transport to ocean ecosystems
- transportation corridors for lumber, mining, trade; certainly part of the ecosystem services of the area but also part of what has led to problems.
- explorers, their contributions and the problems they brought for marine sustainability..
- Marine mammal harvest: Whales, fur seal and sea otter population decimation and consequent ecosystem impacts.
- Military.. Is the present use of military test ranges a sustainable use of the marine environment.
- Subsea sonar problems
- Humans discharging sewage into the ocean
- etc