Government of Canada contributes to the conservation of the Forillon Ecological Corridor

Parks Canada's financial contribution will enable the Nature Conservancy of Canada to accelerate the protection of the corridor and further ensure ecological connectivity within the Gaspé Peninsula

GASPÉ, QC, May 17, 2023 /CNW/ - Protected areas must be linked to one another and form ecological networks to fully contribute to the conservation of biodiversity and the fight against the impacts of climate change.

Ecological corridors are therefore essential for the effective protection of flora and fauna. They allow plants to disperse and animals to move freely on the landscape to access ideal habitat for breeding, feeding, and living. They also make it possible for wildlife to avoid obstacles such as man-made infrastructures and development.

Today, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, announced a contribution of $2 million to support the Nature Conservancy of Canada in maintaining and improving the Forillon Ecological Corridor; a functional and adapted corridor that contributes to the needs of the region's current and future flora and fauna in the context of climate change.

This support will promote concrete actions aimed at the sustainable and integrated management of land development, the adoption of measures to conserve forest cover and the development of infrastructure and road rights-of-way to facilitate wildlife crossing. This ensures the functionality of the ecological corridor between Forillon National Park and the large forests at the heart of the Gaspé Peninsula.

This contribution, funded by Parks Canada's National Ecological Corridors Program, builds on other recent Government of Canada investments to protect natural heritage in Canada. In addition, the Nature Conservancy of Canada has committed $500,000 to the project.

Parks Canada's National Ecological Corridors Program is supported by the historic $2.3 billion investment in Canada's natural heritage announced in Budget 2021. Among other things, it enables jurisdictions and organizations to make better ecological connections between protected and conserved areas, and accelerates action to reduce biodiversity loss, protect ecosystems, and help Canada adapt to climate change.

"Ecological corridors are essential to the well-being of plants and animals so that they can disperse, move safely, and bypass human infrastructures to find habitat essential to their survival. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting the development of such corridors in key locations across the country to provide the greatest possible benefits for biodiversity and its conservation. This collaboration with the Nature Conservancy of Canada to improve the Forillon Ecological Corridor is a representative example of the work we must undertake to ensure strong biodiversity for future generations."

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault
Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada

"I am pleased to see the important collaboration between the Government of Canada and the Nature Conservancy of Canada that has now lasted 15 years. When our government chooses to invest to reduce biodiversity loss, protect our ecosystems and help our beautiful region adapt to climate change, it always does so with the goal of leaving a healthy planet for future generations."

The Honourable Diane Lebouthillier
Minister of National Revenue and Member of Parliament for Gaspésie ? Les-Îles-de-la-Madeleine

"The Forillon Ecological Corridor is a key connectivity area for eastern Gaspésie. It is therefore essential to ensure the preservation of habitats conducive to the movement of wildlife and the maintenance of the ecological services provided by these wilderness areas. The Nature Conservancy of Canada thanks Parks Canada for its continued confidence in the organization. This major contribution will help maintain the region's biodiversity."

Claire Ducharme Vice-President in Quebec, Nature Conservancy of Canada

Quick facts

• Parks Canada is recognized as a leader in conservation and takes action to conserve biodiversity and contribute to the recovery of species at risk.
  
  
• Protected and conservation areas must be connected to allow natural processes to take place and species to move, interact and find habitat in large landscapes and coastal areas.
  
  
• Ecological corridors connect habitats and offer many other benefits, including adaptation to climate change, reduced biodiversity loss, sustainable livelihoods for local communities, opportunities to connect with nature, and promoting the coexistence of humans and wildlife.
  
  
• The Forillon Ecological Corridor is a forested area providing terrestrial ecological connectivity between Forillon National Park and the large forests at the heart of the Gaspé Peninsula. It is a natural passage that allows fauna to move and flora to disperse.
  
  
• The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is Canada's unifying force for conservation. Through the permanent conservation of vast territories, NCC is providing solutions to the twin crises of rapid biodiversity decline and climate change.
  
  
• As a trusted partner, NCC works with individuals, communities, businesses, and governments to protect and care for our most important natural areas.
  
  
• Since 1962, NCC has mobilized Canadians to conserve and restore more than 15 million hectares. In Quebec, nearly 50,000 hectares have been protected, including 230 hectares within the Forillon Ecological Corridor.
  
  
• NCC is a registered charity. With nature, NCC creates a thriving world.
  
  
• NCC is proud to have launched the Quebec Ecological Corridors Initiative in 2017, which proposes a collective approach to land use planning in the south of the 49th parallel to increase ecological connectivity. This initiative is coordinated by NCC, supported by roughly one hundred experts, and led by 10 organizations in 11 regions of Quebec.
  
  
• In January 2023, Minister Guilbeault announced several million dollars for the Cootes to Escarpment Corridor in southern Ontario and the Frontenac Arch Biosphere, one of Canada's most important forest corridors that connects the forests of northern Algonquin Park to the Adirondacks of New York State.

Associated Links

• Parks Canada
• Parks Canada's National Program for Ecological Corridors
• Nature Conservancy of Canada
• Ecological Connectivity at Parks Canada
• Science and Conservation at Parks Canada

SOURCE Parks Canada