Two Christmas gifts for nature lovers

Two weeks from Christmas and on the sidelines of COP15, outdoor enthusiasts are receiving two gifts: significant progress in the protection of the Sentier national du Québec and Mount Kaaikop.

Rando Québec and the Quebec section of the Society for Nature and Parks of Canada (SNAP Quebec) have reached an agreement to develop a project to protect the corridor of the Sentier national du Québec which will be presented to the Government of Quebec.

Currently, the National Trail crosses a good part of Quebec from west to east over a distance of 1650 km.

“There is potential for an ecological corridor,” says Marie-Pierre Beauvais, project manager at SNAP Québec. The trail already crosses protected areas such as national parks, ecological reserves and biological refuges. We could connect them with a large corridor that would allow the movement of fauna, flora and also humans. The idea is to capitalize on what already exists. »

For the moment, the Regulation respecting the sustainable development of forests in the domain of the State protects a strip of 30 m on each side of the trail. “In many cases, there may be some logging closer to the trail,” says Ms.^me Beauvais. Moreover, 30 m is not too much to protect both the visual aspect and ensure the role of an ecological corridor. »

Assess the forest

The SNAP and Rando Québec project will rely instead on a 300 m right-of-way on each side of the trail. The first step is to characterize this area, that is to say to seek information on the tree species present, the streams, the fauna, etc. “It is a question of seeing what the value of this forest is, why it should be protected and given a special status, in the face of other actors who could find that its value is more interesting once transformed”, specifies Gregory Flayol. , assistant general manager of Rando Québec.

To carry out this task, the organization will benefit from funding of $50,000 from CPAWS, which draws this amount from an envelope of $3.3 million entrusted to it by the Government of Quebec to precisely support development projects. protected areas or ecological corridors in southern Quebec.

“Groups on the ground, whether citizens, municipalities or environmental organizations, do not always have the means, the resources or the knowledge to consolidate a proposal, indicates Ms.^me Beauvais. We come in support. We can submit a concrete, well-detailed proposal to the Ministry of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks. »

In parallel with the characterization of the National Trail rights-of-way, CPAWS will explore potential protection mechanisms, in particular by looking at what is happening in other provinces and the United States.

Rando Québec is delighted with this first step, but recognizes that it will take realism and patience.

Fortunately, the vast majority of the land the National Trail crosses is public. “In the initial route, we had identified public land because we knew that it would be easier to perpetuate a trail there than on private land,” explains Mr. Flayol.

Preservation of Mount Kaaikop

A few months ago, CPAWS entered into a similar agreement with the Coalition for the Preservation of Mount Kaaikop. Thus, last Monday, the Minister of the Environment, Benoît Charette, announced the intention of the Government of Quebec to create a protected area of ​​40.5 km^⁠2 at the mountain located in Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides.

“It’s the result of 10 years of effort,” enthuses the president of the coalition, Claude Samson. We managed to document scientifically that it is an important site in terms of ancient forests, which are very rare in southern Quebec. »

It is now a question of putting in place a “solid conservation plan”. “Our 40 km should not^⁠2 completely invaded by humans in all sorts of recreational activities and that the wildlife is disturbed, he notes. The Interval’s trail network is developed to the maximum, it will not go further. »