The Legault and Trudeau governments are committed to expanding the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park, learned The duty. The largest marine protected area in the province could double in size over the next few years, which will ensure better protection of the critical habitat of the beluga, an endangered species that is emblematic of the fragility of the ecosystem of the St. Lawrence estuary.
Nearly 25 years after the creation of the marine park, Quebec and Ottawa will announce this Friday, in Tadoussac, their intention to move forward with a project to expand this protected maritime territory in the heart of the Saint- Lawrence. The Ministers of the Environment Steven Guilbeault and Benoit Charette must also take part in a rare joint press briefing for the occasion.
However, the details of the project remain to be defined. Public consultations will therefore be carried out over the next few months to specify the new limits of the park, but also the rules that will be in force to guarantee the protection of this territory, in particular those imposed on navigation. Everything will be in line with the current model, which has a management structure involving the federal and provincial levels.
The duty had already revealed in November that discussions were underway with a view to concretizing this project, which has been mentioned several times since the park was created in 1998, in order to better protect the beluga. You should know that with an area of 1245 km2, it barely covers 40% of the essential summer habitat of this cetacean classified as “endangered” by the federal government. However, the latter has an obligation to protect the species and its habitat, under the Species at Risk Act.
Expanding the boundaries based on critical beluga habitat would mean increasing the area of the park to 2800 km2. The boundaries of the protected area would thus extend to around L’Isle-aux-Coudres, upstream, and Trois-Pistoles, downstream, including the Cacouna sector, considered a beluga nursery. . This means that the protected territory could reach the south shore of the St. Lawrence. However, there would be no question of expanding the portion of the park in the Saguenay River, where it already extends to Sainte-Rose-du-Nord.
2025 target
It is not yet known when the project could be completed. However, the Trudeau government recently put the expansion of the marine park on a list of projects it is considering to reach its target of protecting 25% of the country’s marine environments by 2025, in view of the goal of protecting 30 % of marine environments by 2030.
The Legault government, for its part, had appointed a committee to assess the relevance of the project, while Quebec wishes to protect 30% of its marine environments by the end of the decade. The duty has already revealed that this committee has concluded that the expansion of the marine park is the “preferred tool” for collaboration between Quebec and Ottawa to “enhance the protection of the St. Lawrence”. Under the Act respecting the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park, it is also possible to modify “the limits” with the agreement of Quebec and Ottawa.
The committee also believes that it would be relevant to reflect on the means to be taken to protect other sectors of the St. Lawrence estuary that would not be covered by the expansion of the park. The Government of Quebec has already done part of the work by granting, in 2020, the status of “territorial reserves for the purposes of protected areas” to different areas of the estuary.
” A great success “
Briefed on Friday’s announcement by The dutythe president of the marine park’s coordination committee, Émilien Pelletier, recalls that the analysis of the project is a commitment of the park’s 2009 master plan, which is still in effect.
However, there is still “a lot of work” to be done before expanding the territory of the park, he insists. In particular, it will be necessary to carry out an exhaustive analysis of the biodiversity of the region, but also public consultations and discussions with the municipalities involved. Not to mention the issue of funding, particularly to ensure the protection of ecosystems.
One thing is certain, the management model involving the federal and provincial levels has proven to be a success, assures Mr. Pelletier. This way of doing things has notably enabled the establishment of regulations to regulate navigation in the park, but also to limit disturbances to this ecosystem of more than 2,200 species.
The sector has also become an important place for scientific research, particularly on different species of cetaceans. Not to mention the significant contribution to the region’s tourist economy, which relies on whale watching cruises, says Mr. Pelletier.
For the beluga
President and Scientific Director of the Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREEM), Robert Michaud also believes that the intention to be announced is “very good news”. The creation of the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park has made it possible to “effectively protect” certain very important sectors for the beluga, he recalls.
In this context, the expansion “should increase our capacities and our desire to concretely enhance the protection of female and young belugas, the most sensitive segment of the population. But for the belugas to fully benefit from this extension and for it not to be a paper extension, let’s hope that the operating budget will follow”.
“The park, even expanded, will not be enough to save the belugas, but it is an essential element to support the recovery strategy for belugas,” adds Michaud, who has studied the species for almost 40 years. . The St. Lawrence beluga is a species whose population amounts to, at best, 880 individuals. For several years, there have been significant mortalities of females and young, which bodes ill for its survival. This cetacean is particularly vulnerable to noise pollution and disturbance caused by navigation, but also to the decline of certain species of fish at the heart of its diet.
The very existence of the marine park sends a message, concludes Mr. Michaud. “This park reminds us of the importance and fragility of this portion of the St. Lawrence estuary and obliges us, sometimes formally and sometimes indirectly, to take these issues into account in the face of development projects. »