Goals and Objectives

This program is part of the Foundation’s forest landscape intervention strategy. It enables the Foundation to secure and increase the wildlife productivity of forested wetlands while encouraging firmer owner commitments and developing partnerships with organizations seeking to enhance these wetlands.

Concerning the new part 2 (monitoring activity) of the program, the objectives are first to note if the agreement has been respected but also to make the landowner aware of his/her responsibilities with the aim that he/she will devote his/her land (e.g. to wetlands protection), to enable the landowner to have a resource person who can help with managing his/her land well, and if there is interest, to accompany him/her on the way towards a higher level of wetlands protection by offering various possibilities and other existing conservation options.

Activities
In order to conserve forested wetlands which are considered habitats of major value to waterfowl and biodiversity, the Quebec Wildlife Foundation, thanks to the contribution of Wildlife Habitat Canada, has implemented a financial support program aimed at forest stakeholders and environmental organizations. These groups have been able, since April 1, 2002, to receive an amount (up to a maximum of 60% of the total cost of their project) to finance the protection of forested wetlands on private lands. The activities comprise an on-the-ground visit to characterize the wetlands, a meeting with the landowners to make them aware of the importance of protecting these wetlands, and a signed conservation agreement with these landowners (declaration of intention). Moreover, an evaluation of the potential for waterfowl is achieved each year in the Center-of-Quebec territory. To be admissible, each project must cover at least 10 wetlands covering a minimum of 50 hectares in total. The projects are submitted at the start of each year (April) and may run for more than one year. However, they are subject to a new assessment each year.

For the monitoring activities (part 2 of the Forested Wetlands Protection Program), the voluntary conservation agreements must be signed at least 3 years ago in order to return to the land with the landowner and check the current state of the wetland, to identify the landowner’s particular needs, and to implement follow-up recommendations for continuing the protection of the land. Several monitoring tools and activities are available to promotional organizations with the help of a tool kit provided by the Foundation (a specimen of this monitoring kit was sent to WHC during the past year). Really, the activities designed in the short and medium term to carry out the monitoring activities could be of a different nature, that is: a visit to the landowners having already signed conservation agreements for their wetlands, the recognition of the site to validate the exceptional character of the wetlands and the presence of intact fauna and flora, the sending of personalized postcards to retain contact with the landowner and the conservation organization which approached the Forested Wetlands Protection Program, the sending of an annual news bulletin on the state of the protected site, providing capsules of information in the existing local newspapers, training of certain landowners, as well as the possibility of creating a network of wetlands. The projects associated with this part (of the Forested Wetlands Protection Program) are submitted in October of each year but the majority begin at least the following April.

Specific Habitat Products/Results to be Supported by WHC’s Contributions
In 2007-2008, we will be continuing one forested wetland project which we started in 2006, and we will initiate approximately 10 new projects (estimate four projects in part 1 and six projects in part 2 of the Forested Wetlands Protection Program). These projects will allow for the protection of more than 600 additional hectares of waterfowl habitat and carrying out the monitoring of more than 300 hectares already protected. This form of voluntary conservation is being used more and more by many stakeholders to protect a large diversity of sensitive forested and agricultural habitats. This project aims to engage 100 private landowners.

Benefits to Wildlife
Protected wetlands will allow amongst other things for the conservation of the habitat of arboreal ducks and the Black Duck, as well as many at-risk species such as the Least Bittern, Wood Turtle, Bald Eagle, and the Pickerel Frog. Wetlands that have been the subject of a voluntary conservation agreement will be recognized by many partners interacting with the project. In some cases, a special land status will be proposed to the owner by the other partners concerned (municipalities, regional county municipalities, Nature Conservancy, etc.). Thus, the degree of protection for certain wetlands may be enhanced by signing more appealing and longer-term conservation agreements (servitude, donation, lease, private natural reserve, etc.).

Eventually, the Foundation seeks to implement a Quebec protected wetlands network in order to share and distribute information amongst all partners and stakeholders. The network could therefore have an educational effect on private landowners that have an interest in voluntary conservation in Quebec. Part 2 (of the Forested Wetlands Protection Program) will be used amongst other things for the installation of this network.

Relevance to Habitat Planning, Decision Making and/or Management
Private landowners that own wetlands will be the first to benefit from the project. They will get a biological characterization of their site, an inventory of animal and plant species (with particular attention to species of special concern), as well as an assessment of potential waterfowl. In addition, they will receive an awareness tool, such as an owner’s notebook, which will allow them to receive simple and effective recommendations as to how best protect their wetlands. Signing their voluntary conservation agreement makes the landowners aware of the significance of their wetlands and of the wildlife values that these can present.

Project Location
The project covers several sites on the whole of the territory of the St. Lawrence valley (low-grounds) in 3 principal ecozones: boreal shield, plains with mixed forests, and the Atlantic maritime. The project is entirely located in the sub-watershed level of the St. Lawrence. More specifically, the targeted areas are especially the Appalachian Mountains, Beauce, Outaouais, Saguenay and Estrie.

Please click here to view the project location/map (pdf file).

Project Contact
For more information on this project, please contact Christine Bélanger, Project Coordinator, Quebec Wildlife Foundation, Sainte-Foy, Quebec.