Vancouver, Canada (GLOBE-Net) - The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (SNAP Québec), Nature Québec and the Canadian Boreal Initiative (CBI) have signaled their support for the decision of the Quebec government to add 17,800 square kilometers, 35 times the size of the island of Montreal, to its protected areas.

The new territories are the National Parks Reserves Monts-Pyramides, Collines-Ondulées and Baie-aux-Feuilles as well as the George River.  The three environmental groups praise the sustained efforts of the Ministère de Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs (MDDEP) at a time when pressure is high and resources are limited.  The groups add, however, that much more needs to be done to protect Quebec’s natural resources for the benefit of future generations.               

By preserving the majestic George River, an abundant ecosystem, the province will ensure the protection of Aboriginal ancestral heritage and culture.  It will also protect one of the world’s largest herds of caribou.   "The Government is taking the first step to protect barren-ground caribou which, we hope, will lead to the protection of woodland caribou in the Boreal region, a species that is vulnerable in Quebec and threatened in Canada," explains Christian Simard, executive director of Nature Québec.

Even though 8 percent of the province will soon be protected from development – as promised three years ago by the Charest government – the groups urge for a complementary vision to protect Quebec’s wilderness.  This includes conducting a gap analysis to determine what is missing to create a conservation network rather than isolated parcels of protected lands, in particular in the southern part of Quebec where logging is under way.

"As for the northern part of the province, beyond the northern tree cutting limit, we must absolutely implement an approach based on the realities of the 21st century, that is conservation-based sustainable development on at least half of the territory and ensuring Aboriginal leadership," adds Marie-Eve Marchand of SNAP Québec.

"We would like to congratulate the Government of Quebec as well as the First Nations and Inuit people who have taken the important decision to protect these lands. It represents good progress in the conservation of natural and cultural values, and we look forward to a continuing the conversation about a balanced approach to conservation and sustainable development in Quebec," said Harvey Locke, spokesperson for the CBI.

To conclude, SNAP Québec, Nature Québec and the CBI remind all Quebeckers that it is important to act while we still have the opportunity and abundance to do so. As part of the World Conservation Congress currently underway in Barcelona, yesterday the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) unveiled the results of its updated Red List of species, which confirm the extinction crisis: one species out of four is at risk of disappearing from the face of the Earth. This is a real crisis, and doing nothing to prevent it would prove costly. The time has come to undertake wide-scale action, and Québec has the opportunity to play an important role in protecting biodiversity and fighting climate change at the world level.

For more information: Nature Quebec, Canadian Boreal Initiative, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society

For More Information: Canadian Boreal Initiative