Quebec Environment Minister Benoit Charette announced Wednesday his intention to decommission the Mount Kaaikop area. The protection of this area, located at the crossroads of the Laurentides and Lanaudière regions, is the goal that a group of citizens have been tirelessly pursuing for a decade.
Posted at 9:10am
Stéphane Blais The Canadian Press
For Claude Samson, the government's announcement is the culmination of a multi-year battle to protect Mount Kaaikop.
“We are entering the 12th year of our commitment to conserving this area,” the president of the Mount Kaaikop Conservation Coalition told The Canadian Press.
In 2014, his citizens group won its case in the Supreme Court when a judge ordered the Department of Natural Resources to suspend its logging permit.
Since that ruling, the coalition says it has invested more than $85,000, mostly in studies to document the environmental value of the sector and ultimately transform it into a conservation project.
PHOTO OLIVIER PONTBRIAND, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
A view of downtown Montreal from the top of Mt.
Mount Kaaikop is the second highest massif in the Laurentian Islands after Mont Tremblant and “its territory covers 40.5 km2 of ancient and ancient natural forests,” explained Claude Samson.
“Kaaikop Mountain offers connections to several nature reserves as well as natural animal and plant corridors. »
Among the fauna that lives there we find some of Quebec's emblematic mammals, such as the moose, the black bear, the gray wolf and even the wolverine.
“Today we have a thought for our dear silent inhabitants of Mount Kaaikop, this diverse fauna, for which areas are being dedicated to them so that they can seek refuge, feed, reproduce and move freely,” explained Claude Samson.
A commitment to protect 30% of the territory
Mount Kaaikop is “an area that is very popular with hikers and nature lovers,” Minister Charette said in an interview with The Canadian Press.
He added that “by developing access to nature, we develop a sense or urgency to protect biodiversity.”
During the Conference of the Parties (COP15) on biodiversity in Montreal in 2022, the government announced an investment of 650 million to ensure the protection of 30% of its territory by 2030.
PHOTO OLIVIER PONTBRIAND, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
The network of protected areas currently covers approximately 17% of Quebec.
“Our government is committed to achieving the global conservation target of 30% of our territory by 2030, particularly by improving Quebec's network of protected areas through initiatives like these,” the minister added.
“A conservation plan”
The government has not yet determined the exact boundaries of the area to be protected in the Mount Kaaikop sector.
“But what is important is that the territory is defined. There will be no exploitation, neither forestry nor mining,” explained Claude Samson.
The next step, he explained, is to develop “a plan to conserve and enhance the ecosystems” of Mount Kaaikop.
“The government calls it a conservation plan, but we have not advocated for humans to completely invade the area for 12 years,” he stressed.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE COALITION FOR THE PRESERVATION OF MOUNT KAAIKOP
His coalition therefore wants there to be “use zones that are intended for humans and for recreational tourism,” but also zones that are reserved for “wildlife and university research.”
In recent years, various scientific research has been carried out at Mount Kaaikop, particularly on the importance of ancient forests for underground biodiversity and soil carbon sequestration.
Ultimately, says Claude Samson, “we aim to establish a research center or research chair in ancient forests” at Mount Kaaikop.
In 2019, a study by the natural sciences department of the Université du Québec en Outaouais and the biological sciences department of the Université du Québec à Montréal concluded that “stopping deforestation in the area studied would normally have little economic impact on forestry” and would most likely significantly increase the value of ecosystem services related to recreational tourism activities, biodiversity habitats, aesthetic value and indigenous cultural services in the public area surrounding Mount Kaaikop.