Protected Areas

Fact sheet

Protected area :

A land or water territory that is subject to a strict legal or administrative framework, which guarantees its long-term conservation and the preservation of its biodiversity. Such territories are shielded from major industrial activities (forestry, mining and energy).

Stages leading from proposed protected status to permanent protected status :

Proposed biodiversity reserves and proposed ecological reserves have true – but provisional – protected status, and the government must grant permanent protection status to them within a period of from four to six years, following public consultations.
Territories reserved for purposes of protection have temporary administrative status that precedes the granting of definitive status, usually that of a national park.

New protected territories

Proposed Biodiversity Reserves

Ungava Peninsula Natural Province (J)
Proposed Biodiversity Reserve	Administrative region	Regional County Municipality (RCM)	Size (km²)
Fjord-Tursukattaq	Nord-du-Québec	Outside RCM	1,959.8

Kangiqsujuaq	Nord-du-Québec	Outside RCM	889.4

Rivière-Vachon	Nord-du-Québec	Outside RCM	2,532.7

Quaqtaq-Kangirsuk	Nord-du-Québec	Outside RCM	1,380.8

Estuaire-des-Rivières-Koktac-et-Nauberakvik	Nord-du-Québec	Outside RCM	1,323.0

Drumlins-du-Lac-Viennaux	Nord-du-Québec	Outside RCM	701.4

Nord-du-Québec Central Plateau Natural Province (I)
Proposed Biodiversity Reserve	Administrative region	Regional County Municipality (RCM)	Size (km²)
Rivière-Delay	Nord-du-Québec	Outside RCM	2,889.5

Lac-Sérigny	Nord-du-Québec	Outside RCM	3,259.9

Hirondelle *	Nord-du-Québec	Outside RCM	322.0

Southern Laurentian Natural Province (C)
Proposed Biodiversity Reserve	Administrative region	Regional County Municipality (RCM)	Size (km²)
Domaine-La-Vérendrye	Outaouais	Vallée-de-la-Gatineau	260.6

Station-de-Biologie-des-Laurentides	Laurentides Lanaudière	Pays-d’en-Haut, Rivière-du-Nord and Matawinie	29.6

Grandes-Piles	Mauricie	Mékinac	36.3


Total Size of Proposed Biodiversity Reserves	15,585 km²

* The proposed Hirondelle Biodiversity Reserve is partially located in the Low Hills of Grande-Rivière Natural Province (H)

Territories reserved for protected area purposes

Ungava Bay (K) and Monts Torngat (L) Basin Natural Provinces
Territory reserved for protected area	Administrative region	Regional County Municipality (RCM)	Superficie (km²)
Rivière-George (expansion)	Nord-du-Québec	Outside RCM	663.7

Ungava Bay Basin Natural Province (K)
Territory reserved for protected area	Administrative region	Regional County Municipality (RCM)	Superficie (km²)
Rivière-Marralik	Nord-du-Québec	Outside RCM	504.2

Lac-Jeannin	Nord-du-Québec	Outside RCM	1290.4

Size of territories reserved for protected area purposes

2 ,458.3 km²

Total Size of Proposed Biodiversity Reserves and territories reserved for protected area purposes

18,043.3 km²

Proposed Ecological Reserves

Southern Laurentian (C) and Appalachians (A) Natural Provinces
Proposed ecological reserves	Administrative region	Regional County Municipality (RCM)	Superficie (km²)
Tourbière-de-Shannon	Capitale-Nationale	Jacques-Cartier	1.65

Mont-Gosford	Estrie	Granit	3.06

Total : 4.7 km²

Permanent protected status granted to 5 territories

Abitibi and James Bay Lowlands Natural Province (F), Central Laurentians (D) and Appalachians (A)
Biodiversity Reserve	Administrative region	Regional County Municipality (RCM)	Superficie (km²)
Caribous-de-Val-d’Or	Abitibi-Témiscamingue	Vallée-de-l’Or	434.2

Météorite	Côte-Nord	Manicouagan et Caniapiscau	233.0

Uapishka	Côte-Nord	Caniapiscau, Manicouagan et Sept-Rivières	1,382.0

Karst-de-Saint-Elzéar	Gaspésie-Iles-de-la-Madeleine	Bonaventure	44,27
Aquatic Reserve	Administrative region	Regional County Municipality (RCM)	Superficie (km²)
Estuaire-de-la-Rivière-Bonaventure	Gaspésie-Iles-de-la-Madeleine	Bonaventure	1.8

*NB: the conservation plans for the new territories will become available once they have been published in the Gazette officielle du Québec.