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The initiative, led by Indigenous, academic and government partners, Parks Canada, and UNB researchers and students, has earned the United Nation’s top global honour for ecosystem recovery, blending Indigenous Knowledge with cutting-edge technology.

The University of New Brunswick is proud to share that a salmon conservation initiative led by Indigenous partners, Parks Canada, UNB and an extensive network of academic, government and community partners, has been named one of the UN World Restoration Flagship Initiatives.

The project, Respectful Returns: Restoring Resilience to Salmon Ecosystems, was selected for its leadership in Indigenous-led, science-based conservation and its transformative impact. This designation places the project among the world’s most exemplary efforts to restore ecosystems at scale under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

The work spans seven Parks Canada-administered sites on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts and partner locations, including:

• The Atlantic Salmon: Return of the King (Fundy, Cape Breton, Kouchibouguac, Gros Morne, Terra Nova)
• Fundy Salmon Recovery on the Petitcodiac watershed (Fort Folly First Nation)
• Restoration of the Cheewaht (čaaxwiyt) Tributaries for Sockeye Salmon (miʕaat, Pacific Rim)
• Yahgudang Dlljuu: A Respectful Act (Gwaii Haanas)

UNB’s contribution includes research led by Dr. Kurt Samways, Parks Canada Research Chair in Aquatic Restoration, along with his students. They work to restore degraded watersheds, improve spawning habitats and test innovative aquaculture techniques through collaborative stewardship.

“This project has changed the face of Salmon restoration and has resulted in increased adult salmon returns and healthier, more productive rivers,” said Samways. “These initiatives will continue to help guide efforts to rebuild a lost populations across the country.”

As a result of this collective work:

• Salmon returns have increased in six of the seven sites,
• Nearly 66,000 hectares of watersheds and 228 kilometers of rivers and streams have been restored,
• Over 100 new jobs were created, and
• 40 additional salmon recovery research projects were supported.
• •  

Restoration strategies include addressing degradation caused by logging, climate-related stresses and threats in the marine environment. Collaborators tested innovative marine-rearing techniques, restored hydrological processes and critical spawning habitats, and reduced illegal fishing through collaborative stewardship.

While salmon populations remain well below historic numbers, the initiative and its dozens of collaborators continue this work reviving relationships between salmon, ecosystems and communities.

“Real ecosystem restoration is accomplished from the ground up,” said QU Dongyu, director-general of the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization. “With Indigenous Peoples and local communities at the center, these new Flagships demonstrate the power of partnerships that bridge ancient wisdom with modern innovation, while strengthening agrifood systems, biodiversity and food diversity and climate resilience.”