Environment Canada's St. Lawrence Action Plan

	SUMMARY
	Biodiversity of the St Lawrence
	In search of new marine toxins in the Magdalen Islands
	ZIP Chronicle
	News in brief

Le Fleuve is published jointly by St. Lawrence Vision 2000 partners.

Co-ordination
Raymonde Goupil, Clément Dugas and Suzanne Bourget

Text
Gaétane Tardif, Environmental Consultant

Realization
Françoise Lapointe, Editor, SLV 2000

Translation from French to English
PWGSC–Translation Bureau

This Newsletter is also available in PDF Version.

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Biodiversity of the St Lawrence—
Just a Click Away!

Photo: Biodiversity Calling all researchers, land managers, representatives of organizations devoted to conserving and enhancing the St Lawrence, students and nature lovers: you are invited to "surf" the St Lawrence River and discover its many plant and wildlife resources. It is now possible to access a wide range of information contained in maps, popularized texts, species lists, etc on the Internet. Discover the Biodiversity Portrait of the St Lawrence with us.

IN TUNE

An impressive synthesis of knowledge of the flora and fauna of the St Lawrence is now available on the Internet. Check out the Biodiversity Portrait of the St Lawrence at the following address: www.qc.ec.gc.ca/faune/biodiv

New marine toxins in the Magdalen Islands: the findings of a study on the presence of toxins in shellfish harvested commercially and recreationally in Quebec. Rigorous monitoring has led to some unexpected discoveries.

Six years of effort in the Upper St Lawrence ZIP (area of prime concern) have paid off: a remediation plan for one of the most contaminated sections of the St Louis River is being implemented with the contribution of Alcan Beauharnois and PPG Canada.

Table: Table of contents

Produced under the Biodiversity component of the St Lawrence Vision 2000 Action Plan, the Biodiversity Portrait of the St Lawrence is the result of the work of some 40 scientists over five years. These specialists in zoology, botany and landscape ecology consulted hundreds of theses, articles, reports and databases in order to summarize inventory data gathered over the past 30 years and make them available on a high-performance geomatic platform.

A summary of our knowledge on the flora and fauna of the St Lawrence, the Biodiversity Portrait of the St Lawrence Internet site contains more than 150 pages of text, 350 tables and figures and 2,500 species distribution maps. Internet users can now access a wide variety of information on the physical and biological aspects of the St Lawrence. Before this project was developed, this highly valuable information was scattered in a huge collection of documentation, non-centralized databases, and even in the drawers and computers of scientists and resource managers.

This ambitious project is a collaborative effort of Environment Canada and the Quebec Department of the Environment. A number of partners (associations, organizations and departments) involved in the St Lawrence Vision 2000 Action Plan also provided essential data. They include Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Parks Canada, the Quebec Wildlife and Parks Agency and the Quebec Department of Natural Resources.

Rich and Varied Information

Taking a user-friendly, educational approach, the Biodiversity of the St Lawrence site presents information under five main headings. The "Ecological Framework" section divides the physical environment of the St Lawrence. The aquatic environment is defined according to its bathymetry, sediment type, hydrographic units and natural divisions, while the coastal environment is divided into coastal segments and coastal landscapes. "The terrestrial environment section is based on the ecological reference framework of Quebec, which maps the area around the St Lawrence in ecoprovinces and natural regions, as well as physiographic units," explained Jean-Pierre Ducruc of the Quebec Department of the Environment.

The Portrait focuses a lot of attention on the presentation of the St Lawrence’s flora and fauna. The "Biological Diversity" section contains detailed ecological analyses of vascular flora, aquatic invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. There are descriptions of the richness, rarity and vulnerability of a number of species in these major groups of organisms. The "Distribution and List of Species" section provides some 700 species lists for the same number of sectors along the St Lawrence, as well as maps showing the distribution of 2,500 species that frequent the ecosystem. The site provides answers to a wide variety of questions, such as where are the richest freshwater and saltwater fish sites in the St Lawrence system?, where are most of the threatened or vulnerable amphibian and reptile species concentrated along the St Lawrence?, where can one find the bird colonies with the largest numbers of colonial species? and what is the geographical distribution of riparian plant species?

The diversity of flora and fauna in the St Lawrence is threatened by a number of human activities. The "Anthropogenic Modifications" section shows the sectors most affected by hundreds of these activities. You can see the extent to which natural shorelines are disappearing and wetlands are being lost to agriculture, urbanization and other uses. There are also data on the effects of the commercial marine fishery, chemical contamination of water and sediments, and the extent of acidification of the environment.

Helping to Conserve the St Lawrence

Much more than a synthesis, the Portrait is a valuable decision-support tool for resource conservation along the St Lawrence. "In addition to reviewing the areas currently protected by various public and private organizations, the ‘Protecting Biodiversity’ section lists new priority sites for conserving biodiversity and saving species at risk," explained Jean-Luc DesGranges of Environment Canada. The main plant and animal groups needing special attention are also listed. The Portrait can thus provide direction for and encourage the implementation of a number of projects at the local and regional level to conserve the biological resources of the St Lawrence River.

A compendium of inventory data gathered over the past 30 years along the St Lawrence that is accessible to everyone on the Internet, the Biodiversity Portrait of the St Lawrence is a highly valuable tool for anyone interested in the ecosystem and its many plant and wildlife resources. Visit the site at http://www.qc.ec.gc.ca/faune/biodiv and discover the biodiversity of the St Lawrence!

Information:

Jean-Luc DesGranges
Canadian Wildlife Service
Environment Canada
Telephone: (418) 649-6126
E-mail: jean-luc.desgranges@ec.gc.ca

Jean-Pierre Ducruc
Ecological Heritage and Sustainable Development Directorate
Quebec Department of the Environment
Telephone: (418) 521-3907, ext 4777
E-mail: jean-pierre.ducruc@mddep.gouv.qc.ca

Source:

DESGRANGES, J-L, and J-P DUCRUC (under the direction of). 2000. Biodiversity Portrait of the St Lawrence. Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada, Quebec Region and the Ecological Heritage Directorate, Quebec Department of the Environment [on line: http://www.qc.ec.gc.ca/faune/biodiv ].

The purpose of this newsletter is to provide recent information on projects and activities surrounding the implementation of the St. Lawrence Vision 2000 Action Plan.

Tourism Quebec, in co-operation with 16 financial and professional partners, recently published a guide to enhancing bodies of water in Quebec for recreational, tourism and heritage conservation purposes entitled Guide de mise en valeur des plans d’eau du Québec à des fins récréotouristiques et de conservation du patrimoine. This detailed resource covers regulatory aspects, legal statutes and jurisdictions, authorizations, permits and existing technical and financial support.

The abundantly illustrated guide is divided into five main sections: water, a valuable resource; opportunities for recreational and tourism development near you; for a sustainable tourism industry; a collection of inspirational experiences; and developing a good business plan.

The guide, available in French only, can be found on the Internet at the following address: http://www.bonjourquebec.com/eau.

On August 25, a Chinese delegation came to Canada and the United States to promote relations among the three countries. The purpose of their visit was to evaluate opportunities for co-operation with the environment industry by sharing information and holding discussions on environmental technology know-how. The delegation was very interested in various aspects of the St Lawrence Action Plan (conservation, protection, management and partnership) and in sharing information on the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders.

André Stainier of Les Amis de la vallée du Saint-Laurent has been invited to speak at the 7th Rencontre du Conservatoire régional de la Loire et de ses affluents [meeting of the regional conservatory of the Loire and its tributaries] to be held in Saumur, France in September. The theme of the meeting is "the river as perceived by riverside residents." One of his topics will be the St Lawrence Vision 2000 Action Plan. Mr Stainier’s involvement in conservation and promoting the river will make him a seasoned ambassador.