(Montreal) Quebec wishes to expand the use of weapons or hunting gear in its national parks in order to better control harmful, unwelcome or overabundant species, and thus ensure the conservation of biodiversity.
The government announced on Wednesday its intention to modify its Parks Regulations, which currently prohibit the carrying of weapons or hunting gear in a national park, in addition to trapping. Only certain state employees, such as wildlife officers, have this permission.
The purpose of the amendment is not to open the door to hunting, which is prohibited under the Parks Actspecifies the Ministry of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks, in a press release.
Rather, the proposal aims to extend the use of a weapon or hunting gear to certain persons and organizations that have obtained a permit for scientific, educational or wildlife management purposes under the Wildlife Conservation and Development Act.
Usually, the management of national parks is done “in such a way as to give free rein to natural processes”, explains the ministry.
“However, in some exceptional situations, it may be necessary to intervene with a lethal approach to ensure conservation in national parks,” he argues.
The government adds that the overabundance of certain species has negative effects on biodiversity, and “can also generate road safety problems, damage to property and the risk of transmission of diseases and parasites”.
Before arriving at a lethal intervention, other methods will be considered such as relocation and sterilization, mentions the Ministry of the Environment.
However, this indicates that these approaches have their limits. Very often, they “require manipulations (capture, marking, treatment) which are a high source of stress for the animal, and their effectiveness is not generally recognized by the scientific community”.
The draft amendment was published as a notice in the Quebec Official Gazette for a period of 45 days. During this period, comments may be made to the Ministry of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks.
Subsequently, the By-law amending the Parks By-law will be published again for enactment and will come into force within the following 15 days.
If adopted, the new authorization will apply in particular to the Society of Outdoor Establishments of Quebec (SEPAQ) and to the Kativik Regional Government (KRG).