Road Impact Wetland Health Assessment (RIWHA)
The B.C. Wildlife Federation has launched the Road Impact Wetland Health Assessment (RIWHA)—a rapid field assessment tool designed to identify how roads and linear infrastructure may be impacting wetland ecosystems and to support future restoration planning across British Columbia.
The RIWHA tool uses standardized forms to gather field-based observations at wetlands where roads intersect or run nearby, capturing key indicators such as vegetation stress and composition; soil exposure, peat degradation, and erosion; changes to water flow or signs of drought; the presence of invasive species; shifts in wetland type (such as transitions from fen to marsh); and signs of channel incision or headcutting (which both lead to unstable water drainage).
Our objective is for this information to help land stewards understand the condition of wetlands, prioritize areas for further investigation or restoration, and promote better road planning practices that support wetland conservation. This includes maintaining buffer zones between roads and wetlands, avoiding development in sensitive ecosystems, and designing infrastructure that allows for natural water flow.
We also see peatland protection as central to this work. Peatlands are essential carbon sinks that, when damaged, can release stored carbon into the atmosphere. By identifying vulnerable peatlands, RIWHA can help highlight areas where proactive protection or restoration may offer climate and ecological benefits.
In 2022 and 2023, we piloted the RIWHA framework in the Williston Reservoir region. Our field teams conducted rapid assessments at 32 wetland sites, gathering baseline data on visible impacts from road infrastructure. What we observed reinforced our view that wetland conditions vary widely. Some wetlands appeared resilient and remained relatively intact. Others showed early signs of stress, which we identified as strong candidates for proactive restoration. A few sites were so severely degraded that meaningful restoration may no longer be possible.