What will Quebec’s territory look like in 2050? Our journalists spoke to experts to imagine the possible avenues, and what can be implemented today to achieve this vision.
For their summer vacations or simply to escape the increasingly intense heat waves for a few days, Quebecers can choose to explore the natural environments of different regions of the province. But they don’t have to depend on their car, since a whole network of trails makes it possible to explore Quebec, thanks to the protection of hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of the territory. An opportunity also to observe the fauna and flora, despite the damage caused by the climate crisis.
At the most recent United Nations conference on biodiversity (COP15), various voices were raised to recall that the protection of terrestrial ecosystems, but also of the animal and plant species that depend on them, would require the preservation of at least 50% of the environments. natural. According to several experts, reaching such a target would make it possible to stop the decline of biodiversity, but also to fight against climate change and the emergence of pandemics. Project manager at Ouranos, Ursule Boyer-Villemaire also underlines the “very clear interconnection” that exists between these different environmental crises.
The Quebec government has promised to protect 30% of the territory by 2030, but would it be possible to reach 50%, for example, by 2050? “Protecting half of the territory is very ambitious, but it’s necessary and realistic, since Quebec is undoubtedly one of the best-positioned states in the world to do so,” says biologist Alain Branchaud, executive director of the Société pour nature and parks of Quebec (SNAP Quebec).
According to data compiled by the organization, such a rate would be equivalent to more than 756,000 km2 of territories sheltered from industrial development, an area equivalent to 1,600 times the island of Montreal. By way of comparison, Quebec currently protects just over 253,000 km2.
If the greatest gains in terms of area are possible mainly in the northern regions of the province, in the south, there is an urgent need to act, believe all the experts consulted by The duty. “We need a moratorium on the destruction of natural environments. We must protect all the natural ecosystems that still exist, restore those that have been degraded and recreate natural environments to achieve ambitious protection targets,” summarizes Tanya Handa, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at UQAM.
restore nature
This vast program would involve putting an end to urban sprawl, but also embarking on the path of restoring green spaces in areas disrupted by human activity. Moreover, Quebec is committed to respecting the objectives of the agreement signed at COP15, which provides for the restoration of 30% of these natural environments.
Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Sherbrooke, Dominique Gravel evokes a “huge project” for the years to come. “In Montérégie, for example, today we find ourselves with a landscape that has nothing to do with what existed before we colonized the territory. We disrupted everything with the destruction of wetlands, deforestation, leveling, etc. Only small islands of natural habitats remain. There would therefore be an enormous work of reconstruction and restoration to be done. »
Giving space back to nature would lead to several gains in climate resilience, including reducing the impacts of heat waves and heavy rainfall. But in a context of global warming, it is also imperative to ensure “connectivity” which would allow animal species “to migrate in a green corridor”, underlines the director general of Nature Québec, Alice-Anne Simard.
This idea of protecting and restoring natural environments, combined with a concern for connectivity, opens the door to the development of “access to nature” for citizens, according to Alain Branchaud. CPAWS Quebec is working with Rando Quebec on a project along the “national trail” that could help protect a green corridor over 1,650 kilometers in length, from west to east of the province. “The objective is that the hiking experience of crossing Quebec can be done in an environment that is naturalized and that allows you to be in contact with nature. Once this project is in place, the benefits for communities can be enormous. »
Assuming that we decide to substantially increase the protection of the territory, this type of project could eventually connect to other existing trails, particularly in Charlevoix, along the Saguenay or in Gaspésie, in addition to allowing access to protected areas or national parks. In short, this would make it possible to create a veritable green fabric here with beneficial effects for biodiversity, public health, climate resilience and the development of ecotourism economic niches.
The Nordic vastness
Alain Branchaud also stresses the need to allow Quebecers to discover the vastness of the territory through jewels to be preserved, such as Anticosti Island, the Magpie River or the northern regions of Nunavik, where the most important areas are found. protected by the province. “There is still important work to be done to put in place the necessary infrastructure to accommodate more people. This is a parallel challenge to that of setting up the network of protected areas, but it is certainly possible by 2050.”
He recalls that under the Société du Plan Nord, the government is required by 2035 to devote 50% of this immense territory “to purposes other than industrial ones, to protecting the environment and safeguarding the biodiversity “. This means that in addition to the approximately 230,000 km2 of territories already protected, we could add no less than 367,000 km2. What approach the objective of ensuring the protection of half of all the territory of Quebec.
Saving the habitat of a species at risk, the caribou, would also generate substantial benefits. In the case of woodland caribou, we can envisage the preservation of 70,000 km2 of boreal forest, and therefore an important carbon sink, recalls Ursule Boyer-Villemaire. “By protecting its habitat, we also protect that of several other species,” adds Alice-Anne Simard. In the case of the migratory caribou, “the territories occupied are gigantic, but the protection would be compatible with the commitments of the Plan Nord”, argues Alain Branchaud, adding that this species is also very important in the way of life of several indigenous peoples. .
A specialist in applied forest ecology and a member of the Center for Forest Studies, Christian Messier also welcomes the idea of boosting the rate of protection of natural environments. Like several experts, he nevertheless fears the future impacts of the climate crisis. “We risk ending up with declining protected areas or collapsing ecosystems,” he warns. In this context, he adds, “we will have to start managing our ecosystems so that they can continue to adapt to the future climate. It’s a paradigm shift from the idea of only establishing protected areas”.