Close to 400 hectares now protected in La Malbaie
Unique coastal environments conserved at Cap au Saumon
Located 168 kilometres northeast of Quebec City lies a 382-hectare protected area: Cap au Saumon. The area, measuring the equivalent size of 550 soccer fields, is home to coastal forests and unique biodiversity. Its integrity is threatened by fragmentation, invasive exotic species and climate change. The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), in collaboration with local partners, will protect this extraordinary site by rigorously monitoring its long-term conservation.
Habitat here consists of fragile coastal ecosystems that are subject to harsh climatic conditions and which slow vegetation growth. The presence of krummholz (wind-twisted forest) and maritime heaths is a good illustration of these ecosystems.
The area is also part of a major bird migratory corridor. During migration, more than 100 species, such as Bicknell's thrush and golden eagle, both at risk, fly low over the coast and may use the site as a resting place.
Several marine species, such as St. Lawrence beluga, frequent the coastal waters of this protected area.
NCC protects these natural coastal environments in partnership with the Centre écologique de Port-au-Saumon (CÉPAS) to enhance and monitor the site.
Acknowledgements
The Nature Conservancy of Canada would like to thank the Age of Union Alliance, as well as the Fondation Beaulieu-Saucier, the Cabot Welch family, the Simons family, Olivier and Adriana, the gouvernement du Québec through the Projet de partenariat pour les milieux naturels (PPMN 2020–2024) and the Accélérer la conservation dans le sud du Québec (ACSQ) project, with which NCC was able to finance the acquisition of the property in addition to undertaking inventories, developing a management plan and conducting follow-up visits, and the Government of Canada through the Natural Heritage Conservation Program. NCC would also like to recognize its regional partners, the Centre écologique de Port-au-Saumon and Duvetnor.
Quotes
“This major conservation project for Charlevoix is a tangible demonstration of our efforts to protect this unique ecosystem on the shores of the St. Lawrence River, in collaboration with local players such as CÉPAS.” – Guillaume Proulx, Project Manager, Nature Conservancy of Canada
“By financially supporting the Projet de partenariat pour les milieux naturels to the tune of $53 million, the Quebec government has ensured the conservation of precious sites such as Cap au Saumon. The protection of these natural environments is excellent news for the magnificent Charlevoix region and for Quebec as a whole. With Nature Conservancy of Canada and its partners, we are creating a more robust network of future protected areas that will contribute to the conservation of species and habitats. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight the remarkable work of all the conservation organizations, which are invaluable partners for our government in achieving our objectives.” – Benoit Charette, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks and Minister responsible for the Laurentides region
“Through the Natural Heritage Conservation Program and partners like the Nature Conservancy of Canada, we're working to protect 382 hectares of coastal habitat in Quebec. This vital effort helps conserve biodiversity, safeguard an important migratory bird corridor, and preserve fragile ecosystems like krummholz. By working together using a ‘whole-of-society’ approach, we can halt biodiversity loss and meet our goal of conserving 30 percent of land and water in Canada by 2030.” – The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
“Preserving ecosystems like Cap au Saumon is not just an act of nature conservation, it's a promise to future generations. By acting today to safeguard these critical habitats, we are ensuring a vital balance between man and biodiversity. ” – Dax Dasilva, Founder and CEO, Lightspeed Commerce, and Founder, Age of Union Alliance
“To have a new neighbour like the Nature Conservancy of Canada, for us, it’s unheard of. We now know that the territory next to us is protected in the same way as what we have been trying to do for years.” – Thomas Le Page-Gouin, General Director, Centre écologique de Port-au-Saumon
Facts
- The proximity of the Centre écologique de Port-au-Saumon to Cap au Saumon protects an uninterrupted coastline of just over 5 kilometres. Cap au Saumon is also shares a coastal boundary of 3.2 kilometres with the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park.
- NCC protects more than 2,000 hectares of island and shoreline environments in Quebec, including more than 25 islands.
- The Atlas des oiseaux nicheurs du Québec reports that more than 75 bird species are present in the region.
About us
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is the country’s unifying force for nature. NCC seeks solutions to the twin crises of rapid biodiversity loss and climate change through large-scale, permanent land conservation. As a trusted partner, NCC works with people, communities, businesses and government to protect and care for our country’s most important natural areas. Since 1962, NCC has brought Canadians together to conserve and restore more than 15 million hectares. In Quebec, NCC partners regularly with Conservation de la nature Québec (CNQ), a non-profit organization that is distinct from NCC, to conserve Quebec’s richest natural areas. Together, the two organizations have conserved close to 50,000 hectares of natural areas in the province.
The Projet de partenariat pour les milieux naturels (PPMN) is a four-year grant of more than $53 million from the gouvernement du Québec to the Nature Conservancy of Canada. It has supported voluntary conservation initiatives to ensure the protection of natural areas of interest by establishing financial partnerships with conservation organizations in the province. The PPMN has helped to develop and consolidate Québec's network of protected areas located on private land.
The Accélérer la conservation dans le sud du Québec (ACSQ) project is a co-funding agreement between the gouvernement du Québec and the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), benefiting Quebec conservation organizations. The project aims to protect and conserve natural habitats of ecological interest, notably through the acquisition of private land, for protected and conserved areas and the establishment of ecological corridors. Through this, the ACSQ will promote the development and sound management of the network of protected areas on private land, as well as public access to nature. The gouvernement du Québec invested $144 million in the ACSQ over five years; this must be matched by NCC and its partners with other funds not provided by the gouvernement du Québec.
Age of Union is a non-profit environmental alliance that supports and makes visible a global community of change-makers working on-the-ground to protect the planet’s threatened species and ecosystems. Launched in October 2021 by tech leader and environmental activist Dax Dasilva in Montreal, Canada, Age of Union seeks to ignite a flame within every person through conservation efforts that solve critical environmental challenges around the world and inspire high-impact change by showing the positive impact that every individual can make.
The Government of Canada’s Natural Heritage Conservation Program (NHCP) is a unique partnership that supports the creation and recognition of protected and conserved areas through the acquisition of private land and private interest in land. To date, the Government of Canada has invested more than $500 million in the Program, which has been matched with more than a billion dollarsin contributions raised by Nature Conservancy of Canada, Ducks Unlimited Canada and the country’s land trust community, leading to the protection and conservation of more than 800,000 hectares of ecologically sensitive lands.
The Centre écologique de Port-au-Saumon (CÉPAS) is an institution dedicated to environmental education and awareness. Since its creation, the center has developed an expertise in natural sciences, offering summer camps, nature classes and hikes. Located in the Charlevoix region, CEPAS enables participants to discover the diversity of ecosystems and understand the relationships between soil, flora and fauna.
The Société Duvetnor Ltée is dedicated to conserving the wildlife and human heritage of the Lower St. Lawrence islands. Since 1995, it has incorporated rigorous ecotourism principles into its interpretation programs, aimed at raising public awareness about the need to preserve seabird colonies and local ecosystems.
Video and photos can be found here.
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