A growing dispute in the Cowichan Valley is putting farmland, flood protection and the future of the Cowichan estuary at the centre of a heated debate. Conservative vice-president for the Cowichan Valley Riding Association. The restoration project is intended to return the area to a functioning estuary and marshland. has similarly argued the restoration will help bring back biodiversity and strengthen food systems in the estuary. As work on the restoration moves forward, both sides say they are trying to protect the future of the Cowichan Valley.