Percé - Malbaie River property
Malbaie River property, QC (Photo by Mike Dembeck)
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has conserved 412 hectares along the banks and in the watershed of the Malbaie River, between the towns of Gaspé and Percé. Due to its close proximity to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, this area boasts a rich biodiversity of species on its land and in its waters.
The riverfront conservation lands protect important habitat for Atlantic salmon — a species of special concern. The property is blanketed with stands of mixed forest in which many species of mammals and birds live.
Ecological value
The source of the Malbaie River can be found in the large forests in the heart of the Gaspé Peninsula. The water that flows from there crosses sinuous meanders bordered by fragile riparian ecosystems. Eastern white cedars, more than 70 years old, overlook the banks of the river and provide beneficial shade to the stream. The Malbaie River flows into the barachois de Malbaie.
These protected lands help maintain ecologically important aquatic and riparian habitats on the Malbaie River and its tributaries. The rocky bottoms and cool waters of this network of rivers provide vital habitats for several aquatic species, including Atlantic salmon, American eel and brook trout. By protecting the riverbank areas of the Malbaie River, NCC is helping conserve many important salmon pools.
Several species of duck, such as the Barrow's goldeneye, wood duck and common merganser, and birds of prey, such as bald eagle and northern harrier, also benefit from this quality natural environment.
A natural partnership
Blue flag iris (Photo by Mike Dembeck)
NCC and our partners have worked for more than 20 years to conserve the most precious natural environments that characterize the southern Gaspé Peninsula and Magdalen Islands. To date, nearly 800 hectares have been conserved through this partnership.
Acknowledgements
This project was made possible thanks to the support of generous financial partners: the Government of Canada, through its National Conservation Plan; the TD Bank Group, through its TD Forests program; the Fondation de la faune du Québec; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the Foundation for Conservation of Atlantic Salmon and many other donors.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada would also like to thank our collaborators in the conservation of the site: the Mi'gmaq and Wolastoqey Indigenous Fisheries Management Association, Conseil de l'Eau Gaspésie sud, Fondation québécoise pour le saumon atlantique, the City of Percé, Mi'gmaq First Nation of Gespeg, Ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs and our volunteers.
Nature stations
The nature stations at the Rivière-Malbaie Nature Reserve were set up to gain knowledge about Atlantic salmon and the ecosystems that support their habitat. NCC and our partners collect the following data at these stations:
- water level
- water temperature
- salmon counts
- riparian erosion monitoring
- macro-invertebrate diversity
- bird inventory
Community involvement
Would you like to make an active contribution in protecting the Malbaie River, its ecosystems and its wildlife? We are currently looking for volunteers to join our network of Rivière Malbaie stewards, who will help us collect data in the field and share guidelines with visitors. Interested? Contact us at quebec@conservationdelanature.ca
