Kristen Walters

Background

About Kristen Walters

I am a Biologist and Director of Raincoast's Salmon Habitat & Climate Change Initiative, where I work to advance the recovery of at-risk salmon populations by conducting applied scientific research, ecological monitoring, habitat restoration, and policy reform. To achieve this, I collaborate closely with Indigenous communities to implement research and ecosystem-based governance frameworks, and work with the federal and provincial governments on policies related to biodiversity recovery, watershed governance, and species at risk. I also work more broadly with academics, non-profits, and industry on initiatives related to toxicology, conservation genetics, forestry, wildfire ecology, and legal personhood for ecosystems. Currently, I am focused on better understanding how the cumulative effects of forestry practices (e.g, clear-cut & salvage logging) are interacting with climate change to drive severe wildfires and changes to hydrology that affect salmon habitat. I think critically about the policies, legislation, and management decisions that facilitate these activities, and how our land use paradigm can be shifted to better support watershed resilience over the long-term.