FISH AND WILDLIFE

AQUATICS, FISH AND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT

Managing for fish and wildlife requires the identification and preservation of their critical habitat features. This is particularly important in urban environments where development has caused extensive habitat fragmentation. Our team understands the connectivity between healthy terrestrial and aquatic systems and the wildlife that rely on them.

FISH AND WATER:

The coast of BC supports a wide range of aquatic habitats including streams, lakes, rivers, wetlands, estuaries and foreshore areas. Clean and functioning water systems and their associated riparian areas support some of BC's most diverse fish, wildlife and plant communities. Riparian areas support a diversity of tree and vegetation types that provide numerous habitat requirements for wildlife, including critical access to water sources. Protecting, maintaining, and restoring aquatic systems is essential to the maintenance of functioning and healthy ecosystems.

The DHC team has a long and distinctive record that support projects requiring assessments, permitting, planning, restoration for fish and the associated natural, restored environments. We do this with experienced and skilled staff that has a clear understanding of science and management and the engineered and natural features of aquatic ecology and fish biology. Services related to the preservation of aquatic systems include:


WILDLIFE:

Assessing the health of wildlife populations ranges in scope from the analysis of habitat features to predicting species presence to detailed field investigation and/or trapping. Our team has completed numerous biodiversity and habitat ranking assessments that quantify critical wildlife habitat characteristics. Management of Species at Risk is becoming increasingly important in all sectors. We provide background reviews of existing documentation, determine what wildlife species may be present, and identify the critical habitat features that must be protected to manage for these species.


BIRDS:

Our coastal ecosystems support an impressive variety of both resident and migratory bird species. Managing for these species includes recognizing habitat requirements for their different life stages. Our company completes bird nesting surveys within the bird nesting window to ensure clients are in compliance with federal and provincial legislation that protects active nests. In addition, we conduct raptor nest surveys year round for those species protected under the Wildlife Act.