Ten municipalities on the northern shore of Montreal are committed to creating a large conservation park along the Rivière des Mille Îles. They want this park – which they believe would become the largest protected area in the metropolitan region – to see the light of day in 2024.
The “Rivière-des-Mille-Îles metropolitan conservation park” would extend over the 42 kilometers of the said river, which weaves its way between Laval and the North Shore. The area currently being studied for the park includes the river itself and part of its banks. Depending on the final perimeter chosen, it could cover more than 5,000 hectares: an area equivalent to more than 20 times that of Mount Royal Park.
On Monday, the mayors of Laval, Rosemère, Deux-Montagnes, Boisbriand, Mascouche, Terrebonne, Sainte-Thérèse, Saint-Eustache, Lorraine and Bois-des-Filion announced that they had signed a joint declaration to this effect. They will now strive to obtain “official status” for the natural environments bordering the Mille Îles River by 2024.
“The Rivière des Mille Îles and its shores constitute an oasis of biodiversity with essential ecological functions,” they write, specifying that there are 385 wildlife species there, including 88 species at risk. The river, note the mayors, is also a source of drinking water and a place “for leisure, relaxation and inspiration”.
“We are committed to taking all the necessary steps to obtain recognition and protection status adapted to the specific characteristics of each of the elements of the park, which will thus be made up of a large mosaic of protected areas and uses. diverse,” they say.
A Mille Îles River Regional Round Table is created: its mandate consists in particular in guaranteeing the integrity and sustainability of the future park. The Éco-nature organization will chair the Table and will be entrusted with the management of the future park.
Since 1998, this organization has already assumed the management of the “Rivière-des-Mille-Îles wildlife refuge”, a territory made up of ten islands and covering 25 hectares. Hunting and camping are prohibited in this refuge. The public is authorized to circulate there, provided that they use the designated paths.
The Government of Quebec welcomes the new initiative of the ten municipalities. The sector of the Rivière des Mille Îles conceals “a great diversity of wildlife habitats”, recalls the Minister of the Environment, Benoit Charette, quoted in a press release. “Nearly a hundred of these species are in a precarious situation, in particular due to the impacts of human activities on their habitats,” he adds.
The Rivière des Mille Îles sector – which actually includes a hundred islands – is home to more than 200 species of birds, 40 species of mammals, 25 species of reptiles and amphibians and 60 species of fish. There are maple groves, swamps and aquatic grass beds, as well as ten “exceptional forest ecosystems” recognized by the State.
The Montreal Metropolitan Community (CMM), which includes the ten municipalities bordering the Rivière des Mille Îles, made a commitment last December to protect 30% of its territory by 2030. It was thus aligned with the objective that all the countries of the world have set at the United Nations Conference on Biodiversity (COP15) held in Montreal. Last April, the CMM protected 23.3% of its territory.