The Association des biologistes du Québec and the Ordre des médecins Veterinaires du Québec support the decision of the City of Longueuil to follow the recommendations issued by the Table de concertation on the ecological balance of the Michel-Chartrand park.
Our two organizations believe that the members of this round table followed a rigorous and science-based process in order to analyze the problem facing Parc Michel-Chartrand. The issues analyzed being complex and attributable to a set of factors, we recognize that the varied expertise of the members of this round table was necessary for the issuance of effective recommendations aimed at restoring the park’s ecological balance.
The report mentions “multiple problems whose combined effects have seriously affected the ecological balance of the park”. This degradation is mainly attributable to the devastating effect of the emerald ash borer on the forest, the spread of invasive alien species altering the natural composition of the flora and the intensive grazing of the vegetation by white-tailed deer, overabundant in the region. Park. The absence of predators combined with a high reproductive success for the species explains in particular this overabundance. The resulting destruction of vegetation and habitat could potentially compromise the survival of the deer population.
At the same time, some users feed the deer, making them more tolerant of human presence. This is an important issue for the health of users, because deer are a vector for the propagation of the blacklegged tick, which can transmit the bacteria responsible for Lyme disease to humans. Added to this is the increased presence of deer around the park, which has led to an increase in road accidents involving deer.
The report concludes that the best solution to ensure plant recovery, conservation of biodiversity as well as public safety is through control of the deer population, and this, unfortunately, by sterilizing the deer combined with the euthanasia of about sixty deer.
The experts in animal welfare consulted came to the same conclusion: euthanasia represents the option to be recommended in view of the fact that the deer population must be reduced considerably, as opposed to relocation.
To this end, although the latter option may seem – at first glance – more interesting for the animals targeted by euthanasia, it is important to understand why it cannot be recommended in the context. It should be noted that moving deer which are, for the most part, hosts of the blacklegged tick that causes Lyme disease represents a significant risk of introducing the parasite into populations that are currently spared. In addition, these animals cannot survive in an environment they do not know. Completely destabilized and without benchmarks, this will lead them to a significant state of vulnerability and, therefore, to certain death, in a context of deterioration of their well-being.
We recognize from the outset that the solutions proposed are not ideal and that they are difficult to accept. However, they remain necessary to preserve the ecological balance of this ecosystem for the benefit of residents and future generations.
Wider gaze
It is important to remember that the issues raised in the Table’s report can be observed in several other natural environments in southern Quebec. Indeed, the anthropogenic pressures of the last decades on natural environments have favored land use planning limiting the capacity of ecosystems to regulate themselves naturally. Thus, many communities will be grappling with similar situations in the coming years.
Human intervention being omnipresent in the territory, it is therefore expected that action must be taken to ensure the sustainability of natural environments, which support a rich – but fragile – biodiversity, which must be preserved.
We believe that the analysis of these complex issues and the development of an action plan aimed at 1) clarifying the governance and management of the park, 2) restoring the ecological balance of the park and 3) to inform and educate the population on these issues, must be carried out by competent professionals whose expertise is recognized. In our opinion, in such a context, expert opinion makes it possible to avoid a cleavage of opinions sometimes resulting from an over-simplification of complex ecological issues such as those of the Michel-Chartrand park. The concerns of the public and the residents of Longueuil, in particular, must also be included in such decisions.
In this sense, we believe that the members of the Table de concertation and the experts consulted were in the best position to find solutions to the challenges facing the park.
Biologists, through their in-depth knowledge of the interactions between our ecosystems and wildlife, and veterinarians, through their expertise in animal health and well-being, are joining together today to give their support to the recommendations of the Table of consultation. The issues of fragmentation and connectivity of natural environments are major challenges that must be better integrated into the future planning of our spaces. Veterinarians and biologists will always be there to defend concerted, science-based decisions.