Save René-Levasseur Island

Integral Protection of the Island

"[...] in light of the unique character of the Rene-Levasseur Island, the importance of the landscape for the devellopment of ecotourism and the serious threats that weigh on the island's long term integrity, we reccomend the protection of the territory's integrity from all industrial activity."
Société pour la Nature et les Parcs du Canada (SNAP)

"[...] the UQCN believes that the entire island should be the object of an integral protection as suggested by the Quebec Environment ministry in the 1980s"
Union Québécoise pour la nature (UQCN)

"[...] The CRECN believes that the allocation of forestry ressources of Rene-Levasseur island is precipitated and that the government's decision to concede most of Rene-Levasseur Island to forestry exploitation is not an enlightened one".
Conseil régional de l'environnement de la Côte-Nord (CRECN)

Current Protected areas

-Creation of the Louis-Babel ecological reserve in 1992, with a surface area of 245.4 Km2
-Proposed creation of an additional ecological reserve, with a surface area of 204 Km2
These protected areas are deemed grossly insuficient, and most experts agree on this point. It is inadmissible that 80% of one our last Old Growth Forests be logged, in the next few years, here in Quebec.

Integral protection of the island is necessary

The surface area of most protected areas is insufficiently large to be effective. In 1999, most protected areas had a surface area inferion to 10Km2. According to many scientists, a protected area must have a surface area of at least 2000km2 in order to to be effective. This surface area is necessary so as to garantee the ecosystem's resistance to difficult conditions such as forest fires, disease and epidemics. according to Ricket and Al (1999) "a minimal surface area of 2000Km2 is necessary so that a protected area can maintain a certain potential for preservation of viable species populations, for all species associated to a natural region and of the ecological processes that assures the renewing of their habitat".

As well, certain species require a minimum territory in order to insure their survival. This is the case with many predators present on the island such as the wolf, which necessitates a territory of 400 to 500Km2. In order to insure a long term population viability there also needs to be several packs in the protected area.

It seems necessary that Rene-Levasseur, with a surface area of 2040 Km2, it's exeptionnal ecosystems and it's Old Growth Forest be given the status of a protected area over all of its territory.

Sources:
Les réserves de biodiversité projeté des monts Groulx et l'île René-Levasseur, UQCN, juin 2003
Monts Groulx - Île René-Levasseur, WWF, juin 2003