“The lake is nature too”: Exploring support for barrier removal and tidal river restoration in Atlantic Canada

Coastal Zone Canada 2025 Conference information, including program and abstracts, can be found here

Abstract

High modernist thinking during the 1960s-80s led to reliance on engineered solutions that perpetuated the idea that nature could be controlled and manipulated to serve industrial development. A surge of worldwide dam and causeway building throughout the mid-20th century means that many are now approaching the end of their functional lifespan. The effects of widespread dam and causeway construction continue to be far ranging, including siltation, blocked passage for migrating and spawning fish species, rerouted rivers and streams, and human development around modified rivers and reservoirs or head ponds. Unique to coastal contexts, many barriers were built across tidal rivers, that blocked tidal connectivity and reshaped coastal river landscapes. In this study, we explore the development of two dammed tidal river landscapes in Atlantic Canada (the Petitcodiac River in New Brunswick and Avon River in Nova Scotia). We are using mixed methods, including surveys and longitudinal media analysis, and employing Stephenson’s (2008) landscape cultural values model. Our objectives with this research are to: 1) Explore how experiences of the residents living along a restricted tidal river and estuary changed over time with causeway modifications; and 2) Investigate how the residents’ experiences influence their perceptions and understanding of tidal river restoration. While our findings are rooted in particular case study locations, the technique of exploring human practices and natural processes as a continuum of dynamic action may be applied to other coastal communities facing landscape adaptation involving human and environmental trade-offs in the face of climate change.

Citation

Margeson, K., Sherren, K., Manuel, P., Murphy, E., Stewart, I., & Smit, M. (2025). “The lake is nature too”: Exploring support for barrier removal and tidal river restoration in Atlantic Canada. Coastal Zone Canada Conference, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, 9-11 June 2025.

Related Blog Post

Khan, J., Legault, A., MacDonald, B.H., Manuel, P., Margeson, M., Martinez Calderon, D., Webster, A., & Wells, P.G. (2025, July 30). Strengthening Coastal Resilience and Relationships: Reflections on the 2025 Coastal Zone Canada Conference. EIUI Blog. https://eiui.ca/strengthening-coastal-resilience-and-relationships-reflections-on-the-2025-coastal-zone-canada-conference/