Episode 16
Today it is my pleasure to introduce to you Ken Wu. Ken is the executive director of the Endangered Ecosystems Alliance, a new national Canadian conservation organization advocating the science-based protection of native ecosystems, seeking to engage non-traditional allies of the environmental movement, and working to support Indigenous Protected Areas. He was previously the co-founder and executive director of the Ancient Forest Alliance and the executive director of the Wilderness Committee’s Victoria bureau. He graduated from UBC’s ecological science program and has also worked as a biologist and tree-planter.
Ken Wu could we start with your story and maybe a primer on ecosystems and endangered ecosystems?
I am now the Executive Director of a two year old organization The Endangered Ecosystems Alliance. Our goal is to protect the diversity of endangered ecosystems across Canada – from grasslands, to deciduous forests, to wetlands, to temperate rain forests. Prior to this, I focused exclusively on protecting old growth forests on Vancouver Island and in British Columbia … I ran Ancient Forest Alliance and the Wilderness Committee before that. Now I would like to see the diversity of native ecosystems protected. These I have always loved since I was a little kid.
Ecosystems are scalable. So an ecosystem can be your flower garden, or it could be a forest biome, but we are focused on native ecosystems…no human created or engineered ecosystems. Essentially these are places where native plants and animals exist. We look at their relationships with each other, the abiotic environment, soil, the water, the climate, the predator/prey relationships, the evolutionary processes, the natural disturbances regimes. It is all that together. It is the world in its most complete state – all together.
I think we are all sad when we hear about forest fires. How do we save ecosystems when whole ecosystems are going up in flames? When trees are burning in new places like Oregon and Washington?
Ok well it is recognize that forest fires are a natural phenomenon in most ecosystems of North America. Forests should see a natural frequency in burning. The problem now is the intensity and frequency are much greater than they naturally should be. That is largely because of global climate change – global warming – along with the suppression of previous fire cycles by the US forest service in some cases. But the driver in all of this is that it is getting too hot and too dry, as a result of burning of fossil fuels and of destruction of nature itself. This creates a feedback loop. The game changer for all of this of course is clean energy, greenhouse gases emissions reduction … but also protecting nature.
Protecting nature is increasingly recognized as actually the only path – if we scale it up – that will allow us to reach our climate targets. This because we have left emissions reductions so late, so long, too little, that we can’t meet our targets based on emissions reductions alone. We need nature to draw down the carbon from the atmosphere in the form of protected forests, grasslands, and wetlands. All of these ecosystems draw carbon down into the vegetation, into the soils, into the trees, and that can tip the scales significantly so we can restabilize the climate.
This way we can keep the earth in a more habitable balance. A lot of the earth is going to become less habitable – especially in parts of the tropics – for hundreds of millions of people – unless we get a grip on this.
Protecting nature is a great game changer.
This makes so much sense and seems like such a simple solution. Your focus is on protecting on what exists right now.
It is not easy to do though. Land use is always contested by stake holders and parties.
So before we get into good news stories, what are some sad stories that you have seen?
One of the most striking contrasts between the glory and grandeur of nature and its destruction are on the west coast of British Columbia. Here ancient forests with trees that are 2000 years old .. predating European colonialism which is about 150 years old on BCs coast. These are some of the oldest and biggest trees that have existed in earth’s history. These trees on Vancouver Island can be as much as 20 feet wide.. as wide as a living room and as tall as a downtown sky scraper. I have been working for so long to protect these trees. But for all those that we have saved, we have lost 3x as many. This is because there is so much value in these trees. Western red cedar in these days is particularly valuable for cladding houses on the outside and for decks.
That is the green gold right now – propping up the old logging industry. The have already logged 99% of the Douglas Fir. There is only 1% of the old growth Douglas Fir left. The Sitka Spruce is less than 10% now. Cedar is probably around 15-20% of the old growth. So we are getting to end of the old growth forest. But there is some progress too.
So as much as we have lost a lot, I think it is important for people to stay engaged and keep pushing. There has been big progress last week…
Please tell us about that.
Finally the British Columbia government announced deferrals or moratorium on 9 major areas of old growth forest in BC. They started up a process to develop new policies to manage BC’s old growth forests. This was decades of pushing by citizens. But we are not there yet, we have to keep expanding awareness of these ecosystems.
The 9 deferral areas include Clayoquot Sound. I think a lot of your listeners at one time have been to Tofino, Ucluelet area of Vancouver Island…so just around Tofino is that spectacular set of islands and valleys …that is now on a moratorium for logging. It is the biggest track of coastal old growth temperate rain forest on Vancouver Island. So some good things are happening.
So was that part of your work Ken?
Yes I have worked to protect Clayoquot for almost thirty years now. So it is quite satisfying. We are not there yet but it is a deferral or moratorium. Hopefully at some point we will get legislation to protect the old growth there.
So a deferral means that companies cannot go in and log that area?
Yes but you can still go in and hike and explore, but the logging is now on hold.
Those huge trees draw in so much carbon.
Yes even more than the tropical rain forest trees. Because all of the nutrients get sucked up so quickly in the tropics, but in the temperate rain forests of British Columbia, Oregon, and California, there is a lot of carbon locked in the wood that is on the forest floor, in the soil, and in the trees. The trees in these temperate forests live longer and get bigger. So that combination means that there is substantially more carbon in Canada’s old growth temperate rain forests than even in the Amazon or in central Africa.
Wow I had not heard that before.
That is one of the best things we can do to avert the climate crisis is to protect not just tropical forests but temperate rain forests and all types of forests.
We’ve got a lot of bush around us and wetlands too. I am not sure what the plans are for it, but we are certainly looking at it in new ways.
Yes you are very lucky because in areas around the Great Lakes, in some parts of the prairies, and in southern BC, there have been huge losses of the native ecosystems to agriculture, urbanization, and logging.
On your website endangeredecosystemsalliance.org and on my website https://treesmendus.com you talk about the health of the forests being tied to our health. Could you say a little about that?
Well I have to admit that I have been so focused on the ecology of forests, that it is a fairly recent thing for me to talk about health. It knocks my socks off with all the research on the health benefits for people. For me as a true believer in protecting nature and all of sudden to see all these studies about phytoncides, these organic compounds emitted by trees and plants, end up boosting our immune systems. That is an amazing thing. I guess we evolved to use these substances to develop our NK and white cells. So that is one thing that has always amazed me.
The other thing that amazes me is the psychological effects and then feedback loops into our physical health by simply being in nature ends up reducing ADHD, inflammation, heart disease, and more.
You can list off all the benefits of the psychological benefits based on the Old Friends hypothesis. We have evolved in nature over the years, and it is only in recent generations where we have become increasingly divorced from it in these urban and suburban environments. That process means that in society we have a deep psychological longing for where we actually developed biologically in nature – and that kind of brings us back into a balance. These are all things that I guess I intiatively knew but there is a lot of research now showing all these benefits.
Diana Beresford-Kroeger says that the environment in nature is so complete that every time we go into a forest, we get something different – and exactly what we need at that moment. So it is nice to circle around and see our health as connected to the ecology of our forests too. So are you targeting plants, animals, and species in your work?
We are targeting the whole complex arrangement of all plants, animals, and species together in protected areas: national parks, provincial parks, and the big thing these days are Indigenous Protected areas which area moving ahead – including in Northern Manitoba right now. So our success stories have largely been the expansion of protected areas. This happens in waves. Right now is a big historically important wave of protection as we head toward the UN Biodiversity Conference in May 2021.
So we have new protected areas or target across the world. And in Canada, the goal is protect 17% of the country by 2020. It does not look like we are going to get there. We are at 12%. Our goal is 25% by 2025, and 30% by 2030.
The 30% protection is also the UN draft goal. But the important thing around this is that it has to be based on ecosystems. Because if it is not based on ecosystems, what is happening is that the protected areas are all being placed in the artic and the sub artic which are important ecosystems, but at the expense of not saving the actual contested landscapes where the actual resource industries are destroying nature. There is not that much going on in the artic and in the muskeg.
I know there are issues with silica and sand mining north of here. How do we get our land on the protected list?
There are two ways. I have no problem with hunting and fishing on land. This is a way that a lot of Canadians have become connected to the land. A lot of these protected areas will not allow logging and industry, but do support hunting and fishing.
For crown lands, public lands, it is essentially expanding the awareness, and pushing the government for legal designation for a provincial park or a national park or indigenous protected area or ecological reserve. .. whatever designations are in your province.
When it comes to private lands they have to be bought.
So in the end it is a combination of land trusts, conservation groups raising the money, along with government to chip in on the financing.
Another caveat is that for indigenous protected land, they also need financing to undertake the management and stewardship, the land use, as well as building the economies associated with those protected lands. Because without some financing a lot of these impoverished communities don’t have the capacity to establish those protected areas or to make the transition.
In British Columbia for example, many First Nations are logging old growth forests because previous governments have brokered deals to facilitate old growth logging by First Nations. They need to finance an alternative to this – for tourism, for clean energy, for non-timber forest products like wild mushroom harvests – for alternative ways for people to live.
Our first steps would be to?
To support your local conservation groups. In all parts of the country there are small conservation groups – we call them kitchen table groups. These are citizens that have lines on a map and know that this watershed here is really important for sturgeon or caribou or moose. These grass lands here are full of endangered species. These wetlands are important for sandhill cranes.. whatever it is… people identify areas. Besides donating, you can volunteer, write letters to government, write letters to the newspapers, write letters to the editor, to sign petitions, to circulate petitions. And to work with First Nations who also, in certain cases, will have areas of high cultural significance, tied to ecology and spiritual health. They will have areas of high interest for subsistence purposes. Those areas are good candidates for new protected areas.
I know there is a Lake Winnipeg Foundation, but I don’t know if there is a Winnipeg River Association.. I guess it is looking around your area to see what organizations exist?
Manitoba is actually a pretty environmentally conscious province. We just gave a set of presentations there in Brandon and in Winnipeg. There is the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. There is the Wildlife Conservancy of Canada. There are a number of groups who are provincial or regional. It is easier if you contact a group that is specialized in that and find out from them what you can do to help – usually it is around writing letters to the editor, local newspaper, and writing to your MPs. These types of small steps make a big difference in the end. The whole goal is expanded awareness. That is speaking up to elected officials and letting other people know that there are important benefits of protecting nature for our health and for the economy.
There is a traditional and incorrect view that if you protect these areas then you undermine the local economy because you don’t have the logging jobs anymore. But what has been shown is the opposite. When you protect an area, what happens is that you bolster, not just tourism and recreation, but real estate values go up. You bolster water quality and fisheries. You secure non-timber forest products… the wild mushroom harvest in British Columbia is a big deal.
Once you protect an area you can bring money in as carbon offsets for industries. So if you want jobs protect nature is what they are showing now.
If you look at British Columbia for example – where the most thriving economies are – it is places where they protected nature nearby. It’s around Tofino, like Claquit Sound. It is around Renfrew now and tall trees protection.
Also Victoria has protected most of the forest around the city and that has created a whole lot of places for hiking, mountain biking, and great scenery. You get the educated class of skilled workers, high tech professionals. These people want to live in a place with a greater environmental quality of life. And protected areas are an anchor for that. And with the skilled labor, the computer class who can work anywhere.. then you get the companies moving in. These companies know they have the labor pool they need for their high tech companies too.
So you have told us the small steps to take to become involved in existing groups, is there anything we need to go before that Ken?
Most important is to become familiar with areas that need protection. So in almost every community, you will find a tract of forest where you walk your dog. And just because it is near your house, you start to realize – hey there are some for sale signs now.
This area could actually be mowed down and turned into the next Home Depot or something. Or over there is as wetland, and they are going to drain the thing. It is jam packed with frogs, beavers, muskrats, and herons. So getting familiar with what is in your area locally and regionally is where to start. And then at some scale provincially and nationally is the first step. So becoming aware and exploring these areas too.
And then find out who is working on protecting those areas, and also spearheading efforts if there is no one really doing things for those areas.
It is all about getting elected decision makers, if it is crown land to legislate protection, or if it is private land to help finance protection of those areas. Or some land trusts and you can buy the whole thing. Ducks Unlimited buys a lot of wetlands, nature conservancy buys a lot of forests and grasslands.
Is there something that you wish I would have asked you Ken?
Here is one last thing. We were talking about the health benefits. The other thing that really knocks my socks off is the microbiome, the microsystems within us. So people with allergies, inflammation, irritable bowel syndrome, a whole list of conditions of modern industrial civilization that are on the increase. To get better, the research is being linked to healthy bacteria. The old way of seeing bacteria is that it is bad and to disinfect and use antibiotics whenever you can, and live in a super sanitized environment. But it turns out that we are actually removing healthy bacteria. It is in nature that you get that tremendous diversity of beneficial micro organisms. We breathe these in. When we eat our lunch and we sit on a log, even your hand touching the log and then bringing it into your mouth, and grabbing your sandwich, you are introducing a whole new set of healthy micro organisms. You introduce so many things that your body needed without even being aware of it. It is fascinating research. I am blown away by it. And it has only been the last ten years where it is really coming out. It is a slow process.
One last thing, I noticed that when I was hiking in Port Renfrew that there were people wearing masks. I am not sure people are aware that Covid is primarily spread indoors where there is poor ventilation. Outdoors thereis miniscule chance of catching it. Keep the physical distance, but outdoors is the place to be. Outdoors the risk is miniscule of catching covid.
So dear listeners consider yourself part Ken Wu’s alliance and vision (of even a small part of it) your own. Let’s help him and his organization to scale up protection of the ecosystems around you and those you like to visit. Notice, appreciate and help to protect our healthy ecosystems.. Let’s learn more about the science based facts of ecosystems and endangered ecosystems by visiting Ken Wu and staff at his website Endangered Ecosystems Alliance. And follow Endangered Ecosystems Alliance on social media.
So Listeners if you have not already do check out my book and workbook Take Back Your Outside Mindset: Live longer, prevent dementia, and control your chronic illness. And go to my website Treesmendus.com for complete show notes of this and other podcast episodes and other free resources. To show your support for this podcast please press the subscribe button and consider leaving a review on Apple podcasts.
Listeners thank you for downloading this podcast and listening to the end. When you are outside in your backyard, the bush, or forest notice all the ecosystems you can – natural environments… small and big communities of the living and non-living things that help each other. Notice the relationships. See what is around you in new ways, notice air quality while you are out there. If you are lucky enough to see the largest tree in an old growth forest, thank it for drawing in massive amounts of carbon from the air ..for you and those you love. As you breathe in this oxygen rich tree air notice that while you are helping your health recovery to become more resilient….taking back control of your thoughts and emotions… remember that your health depends on the health of the ecosystems around you … and making this connection .. this is a good thing, because we all need a little more of Your Outside Mindset.
Check Ken Wu’s work at his websiteendangeredecosystemsalliance.orghttps://www.endangeredecosystemsalliance.org
Consider yourself part Ken Wu ‘s alliance and vision (of even a small part of it) your own. Let’s help him and his organization to scale up protection of the ecosystems around you and those you like to visit. Notice, appreciate and help to protect our healthy ecosystems.. Let’s learn more about the science based facts of ecosystems and endangered ecosystems by visiting Ken Wu and staff at his website Endangered Ecosystems Alliance. And follow Endangered Ecosystems Alliance on social media.
So Listeners if you have not already do check out my book and workbook Take Back Your Outside Mindset: Live longer, prevent dementia, and control your chronic illness. And go to my website Treesmendus.com for complete show notes of this and other podcast episodes and other free resources. To show your support for this podcast please press the subscribe button and consider leaving a review on Apple podcasts.
Listeners thank you for downloading this podcast and listening to the end. When you are outside in your backyard, the bush, or forest notice all the ecosystems you can – natural environments… small and big communities of the living and non-living things that help each other. Notice the relationships. See what is around you in new ways, notice air quality while you are out there. If you are lucky enough to see the largest tree in an old growth forest, thank it for drawing in massive amounts of carbon from the air ..for you and those you love. As you breathe in this oxygen rich tree air notice that while you are helping your health recovery to become more resilient….taking back control of your thoughts and emotions… remember that your health depends on the health of the ecosystems around you … and making this connection .. this is a good thing, because we all need a little more of Your Outside Mindset.
