Climate change is a present and growing threat to our communities, ecosystems, and coldwater streams across the country. Here at Freshwater Conservation Canada, we believe we can make a difference by helping to build resilience and hope in the face of climate change. Our work to protect, conserve, and rehabilitate freshwater ecosystems not only helps to protect sensitive aquatic species like trout from rising temperatures but also helps to protect our communities from more frequent high-heat days, more intense flooding, and wildfires.

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Freshwater Conservation Canada’s Cooling Streams program is focused on restoring riparian areas – the buffer of vegetation that connects land and water along streams, rivers, and lakes. By planting trees and shrubs along lakes, rivers, and streams, we can help take carbon from the atmosphere. The trees and plants found within riparian zones are adapted to natural disturbances, such as spring floods and summer low-flow periods, which helps make these ecosystems more resilient to the expected disruptions from climate change. The built-in resilience of riparian ecosystems is ideal for protection and provides refuge for vulnerable wildlife and plant species while helping communities adapt to climate change.