Like our forests and fertile lands, our wetlands and waterways are ecosystems that play a leading role in maintaining biodiversity and protecting our territories. Here’s why and how we should keep them.
Wetlands and bodies of water, which are among the richest on the planet, occupy a significant proportion of Québec’s surface area. If they were considered in the past as unusable land for development, today we recognize their important contribution to the human and economic life of the province. However, these ecosystems, which surround us without us necessarily realizing it – even in the city and near our homes! –, have been experiencing a significant decline for several decades caused by human activity in its various forms. Their surface is shrinking, their delicate balance is altered and the environmental repercussions that this entails have a direct effect on biodiversity and on the quality of life of Quebecers.
An essential natural heritage In wetlands, such as marshes, ponds, swamps and bogs, water plays an essential role. The same goes for water environments, which refer to the coastline, banks or floodplains of lakes and waterways. Champions of biodiversity, these natural areas are recognized for the richness of their flora and fauna. They serve as a habitat for many animal species that live there permanently or temporarily, such as migratory birds that find refuge there to feed, reproduce and rest. When the integrity of these environments is threatened, all the species they shelter are likely to suffer.
Not surprisingly, wetlands and bodies of water play a key role in the aquatic network that surrounds us, in towns and regions alike. Some of these environments contribute to the quality of drinking water by supplying groundwater and help maintain the water reserves used in agriculture. Others act as ramparts against bank erosion and limit the damage caused by floods by attenuating floods and regulating the flow of rivers. Otherwise, they can also reduce the drop in water level in the event of drought. These ecosystems, in all their diversity, thus provide services of primary importance to communities, while saving considerable sums for municipalities.
In a context where climate change increases the frequency of extreme phenomena, such as floods, these environments are therefore essential to help us better adapt collectively by mitigating the harmful effects of these climatic events. And that’s not all ! Peatlands, unique wetlands, are the natural ecosystems that sequester the most greenhouse gases – ironic, knowing that they themselves are threatened by climate change!
So many human, environmental and economic benefits that we cannot do without.
Peatlands, which sequester carbon, also play a crucial role in mitigating climate change.
Issues and solutions Already weakened by global warming, wetlands and bodies of water are directly affected, for example, by urban sprawl, the construction of housing stock, the development of roads and infrastructure and mining, all associated with the growth economy of Quebec. Not to mention the major disruptions caused by the agricultural sector.
How to preserve wetlands and water bodies without slowing everything down? The answers are not simple. This is where the Ministry of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change (MELCC) intervened by deploying a reform aimed at preserving this natural heritage.
Among the laws and regulations put in place is the adoption in 2017 of the Act respecting the conservation of wetlands and bodies of water. Its objective is to conserve these natural environments in various ways, by protecting them and ensuring that they are used in a sustainable manner. It also advocates the restoration and creation of new ecosystems that also fulfill beneficial ecological functions, with the aim of offsetting inevitable losses. This is the objective of “no net loss”, towards which the government wants to strive, and which aims to establish a fair balance between the conservation of natural environments and the development of our economy.
Ambitious plans for the regions One of the major initiatives related to this law is the development of regional plans for wetlands and bodies of water, the responsibility for which has been entrusted to the regional county municipalities (RCMs).
Currently being developed, the first drafts, which aim to integrate the conservation of these essential ecosystems into land use planning in all regions of Quebec, will be submitted in June 2022. A first step in the realization of this major project, which will take place with the support of the MELCC as a leading guide. Because a mission of this magnitude, inseparable from the future of Québec and its citizens, can only be accomplished with the involvement of several major partners.
To know more :
Québec.ca/conservation-hydraulic-wetlands
This content was produced by Le Devoir’s special publications team in collaboration with the advertiser. Le Devoir’s editorial team had no role in the production of this content.