Cumulative Effects of Marine Shipping Initiative

As part of Canada’s Ocean Protection Plan and through their Cumulative Effects of Marine Shipping Initiative, Transport Canada is working collaboratively with Indigenous Peoples, local stakeholders and coastal communities to better understand the effects of shipping on coastal environments. One of the outcomes of this initiative will be the development of a national cumulative effects assessment framework to assess the effects of existing and future vessel movements on coastal ecosystems and the communities and values that depend on them.

ESSA has been engaged by Transport Canada to review different methodologies and options for the assessment of cumulative effects. The assessment of cumulative effects from multiple stressors on coastal environments at a regional scale is a complex process and this review of existing national and international approaches will support Transport Canada in selecting the best assessment approach for the national cumulative effects assessment framework.

Check out the news release about this important work from the Government of Canada, click HERE