Tree felling and maple syrup production could be authorized within natural environments protected by the government. The idea of establishing “sustainable use protected areas” is germinating within the Ministry of the Environment, which could tolerate “commercial activities” within Quebec’s natural heritage.
Mining, logging and building are currently prohibited in areas protected by the Natural Heritage Conservation Act. Those boundaries could shift if the government follows the recommendations of its environment ministry and approves the creation of “sustainable use protected areas.” A “preliminary document for the adoption of guidelines” detailing the nuance was recently posted online.
Maple syrup production, forestry and “local energy production” could thus emerge in protected territory. On the other hand, the “sustainable use” of the forest would require “best practices” and a “natural [qui] “prime” in the event of a conflict of use. At least half of these areas should also maintain strict “natural conditions”. The remainder of the forest where “commercial activities” would be permitted must constitute an “exemplary management zone”. The document does not further detail the “exemplary” nature of these practices and management.
The protected area for sustainable use (APUD) is still only a “preliminary orientation” for the government, but the acronym has already been circulating in the Quebec undergrowth for several years.
Today, maple producers say they are ready to do their part to protect the territory. “We can become the guardians of the forest,” says Luc Goulet, president of the association Producteurs et productrices acéricoles du Québec. “We have ways of doing things, and we have been able to continue for years.”
Markers will be necessary for a maple grove to also become a place for protecting biodiversity, he assures. Motorized equipment should no longer leave traces on the ground, for example. “Ruts and tree injuries are practices that we no longer want in the maple grove.”
Between 17 and 18% of Quebec’s territory is currently protected by law. Reducing the protected area status to include commercial activities could be a good “compromise” to reach the 30% target desired by Quebec, observes Yan Boucher, professor at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi and specialist in forest ecology. “If we want to reach 30%, there may be a compromise to be made on the quality of the conservation we do.”
A few pilot projects of this type are already in the works on Anticosti Island, in Charlevoix, and near Lake Kénogami in Saguenay. The researcher believes that such protected areas near populated areas could be “a laboratory that allows people to see what’s happening” and educate the public about Quebec ecosystems. “It’s also to promote local communities, local forests. People from the regions need to be behind these projects.”
The benefits of nature
Environmentalists are cautiously welcoming the proposal. Replacing areas that are already fully protected with these APUDs would not represent “a gain,” emphasizes Alain Branchaud, general director of the Société pour la nature et les parcs (SNAP Québec).
Another drawback: between commercial and industrial activities, there is a fine line. And “there is no question of accepting industrial activities,” says the biologist. That said, commerce and conservation are not mutually exclusive; they are even “compatible.”
He points to several global examples that can inspire us. For example, in Mexico, pine forests that are home to monarch butterflies are also exploited by local communities for their pine nuts. “There’s a kind of understanding between the fact that people can commercially exploit the pine nuts, sell them and make a profit. And at the same time, they become guardians of these forests and protect them from poaching and logging.”
There is also the example of Manitoba, where the disappearance of the bison caused the ecosystem of tall grass prairies to become unbalanced. Where these grasses used to grow, a forest now grows. “In some places, cattle have been brought in to imitate natural grazing and maintain the ecosystem. Otherwise, we are heading towards a forest ecosystem. The system that commercial grazing makes possible also allows the ecosystem to be maintained.”
In Quebec, targeted cuts could help to more easily maintain a herd of moose or deer, he suggests. “But to what extent? And how are you going to do that? Are you going to bring in big industrial machinery to do that?”
So many questions remain to be clarified before common ground can be found.
This story is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.