Integrated Forest-Wildlife Management Program – Protection of Wetlands, Eastern Habitat Joint Venture 2008-09

Lac à Cola, Saint-Modeste, MRC Rivière-du-Loup (Photo courtesy of Sébastien Nadeau, Agence régionale de mise en valeur des forêts privées du Bas Saint-Laurent)

Integrated Forest-Wildlife Management Program – Protection of Wetlands, Eastern Habitat Joint Venture Final Project Report 2008/2009 (in French only) (pdf; 1 MB) 

Goals and Objectives

This program is part of the Quebec Wildlife Foundation’s forest landscape intervention strategy. It will make it possible to ensure and increase, using an ecosystem approach, wildlife productivity and biodiversity of forested wetlands by promoting increasingly firm commitments of the landowners and by developing partnerships with organizations devoted to enhancing these wetlands.

Concerning part 2 (of the program) – monitoring the wetlands and loyalty of the landowners, the objectives are first to note if the (voluntary conservation) agreement was 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 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 include an on-the-ground visit in order to characterize the wetland and validate the presence of wildlife and plant species (endangered or not), a meeting with the owners to make them aware of the importance of protecting these wetlands, and a signed conservation agreement with these landowners (declaration of intention). As well, an evaluation of the potential for waterfowl nesting is carried out each year in the Center-of-Quebec (BCR 13) area. To be eligible, each project must cover at least 10 wetlands totalling a minimum area of 50 hectares. The projects are submitted at the beginning of each year (April) and they can run for more than a year. However, they are subject to a new evaluation each year. Several tools have been developed within the framework of these activities: biophysical map of the wetlands present in each landowner’s area, a list of species present on the site, a guide containing recommendations for the conservation of the wetland, a list of resource persons and government authorities that can be contacted, and a declaration of the intention to sign (a voluntary conservation agreement), with everything integrated into a complete and unique notebook for each landowner.

With respect to the monitoring activities (part 2 of the Forested Wetlands Protection Program), the voluntary conservation agreements must be signed for at least 3 years before returning to the land, with the landowner, to check the current state of the wetland, identify the landowner’s particular needs, and 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 Quebec Wildlife Foundation. Really, the short and medium term activities to carry out the monitoring could be of a different nature, that is: a visit to the landowners who have already signed conservation agreements for their wetlands, 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 maintain 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 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 the following April.

These activities will be listed for 2008-2009 within the framework of a new program of integrated management of forest-wildlife resources set up by the Quebec Wildlife Foundation in collaboration with several partners. This new approach will facilitate sustainable development in private forests. Indeed, it will lead to more structured choices that will make it possible to optimize the repercussions of the actions related to the wetland, at the local as well as regional level. In addition to the wetland protection projects, projects such as habitat planning at the sub-watershed scale, planning with regard to the devastation of white-tailed deer and the making of plans associated with forest-wildlife planning will form an integral part of this broader program by ecosystem management.

Specific Habitat Products/Results to be Supported by WHC’s Contributions

In 2008-2009, we will be continuing a project started in 2007 and we will initiate about 10 new projects (we estimate four projects in part 1 and six projects in part 2 of the project). These projects should make it possible to protect more than 600 additional hectares of waterfowl habitats and carry out the monitoring of more than 300 hectares already protected. The declaration of intention is a mode of voluntary conservation that is used more and more by a good number of stakeholders to protect a great diversity of sensitive forested and agricultural habitats. This project aims to engage 100 private landowners.

Benefits to Waterfowl, Wetlands-Associated Species, and/or Other Wildlife

By protecting the wetlands in BCR 12, 13, and 14, the Quebec Wildlife Foundation contributes to the habitat conservation of several hundred species of birds, including several species of waterfowl. Among these species, one directly notes arboreal ducks (wood duck, common goldeneye and bufflehead), black duck, mallard duck, winter teal, crowned merganser and the ring-necked duck. Several endangered species, such as the least bittern, short-eared owl, gold-winged warbler, bald eagle, wood turtle, pickerel frog, etc. could also be also found on the protected sites.

Relevance to Habitat Planning, Decision Making and/or Management

Private landowners that own wetlands will be the first ones 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 the potential for nesting waterfowl. In addition, they will receive an awareness tool, such as a landowner’s notebook, which will allow them to receive simple and effective recommendations in order to better protect their wetlands. By signing their voluntary conservation agreement, the landowners are conscious of the importance of their wetlands and the wildlife values that these wetlands can offer.

Being the subject of a voluntary conservation agreement, the wetlands will be recognized in addition to the many partners who are involved with the project. In certain cases, the special status of the area will be proposed to the landowner by other concerned partners (provincial ministries, municipalities, regional county municipality, Nature Conservancy, etc). Thus, the degree of protection of certain wetlands could be accentuated with signed conservation agreements that involve greater commitment and are based on a longer term (servitude, settlement, lease, natural reserve on private land, etc).

Eventually, the Quebec Wildlife Foundation seeks to implement a Quebec network of protected wetlands in order to share and distribute information amongst all partners and stakeholders. The network could therefore have an educational effect on private landowners who have an interest in voluntary conservation in Quebec. Part 2 (monitoring) will be used, among other things, to establish this network.

Project Location

The project covers several sites in the whole of the area of the St. Lawrence valley (lowlands) in three principal ecozones: boreal shield, mixed forest plains, and the Maritimes. It also reaches the priority ecoregion of the St. Lawrence River classified as category A by the (North American Waterfowl Management) Plan and five other ecoregions of category B.

The project is entirely located in the St. Lawrence watershed. More specifically, the targeted areas are especially the Appalachian Mountains (Center-of-Quebec, Estrie, Chaudière-Appalachian Mountains), the Saint-Lawrence Plains (Outaouais, Laurentians, Quebec) and Saguenay.

The landscape on which the projects will be carried out is essentially forested. The wetlands to be protected will be located, among other places, in the municipalities of Saguenay, Rimouski, Quebec, Saint-Paul Bay, Beauport Lake, Thetford Mines, Victoriaville, Saint Raymond-of-Portneuf, New Richmond, Drummondville, Messines, Saint Martin, etc.

The project is situated especially in Bird Conservation Region (BCR) 13 along the St. Lawrence Plains, considered a priority by the Eastern Habitat Joint Venture since the habitats for the waterfowl and birds are always threatened there. BCR 12 and 14 will be also involved. In addition, certain sites targeted for the protection of the forested wetlands are consistent with certain priority sectors for wetlands according to the regional Plans of Ducks Unlimited Canada. It’s the case, among others, in the regions of Center-of-Quebec and the Chaudière-Appalachian Mountains where certain places are classified as priority 1 or 2.

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, Quebec, Quebec.