This data set contains the polygons delimiting the natural wastelands of the Montreal agglomeration. The boundaries of the wastelands and their type are the result of an analysis of aerial photos and/or of field visits and/or of particular ecological studies. These are constantly updated in accordance with the advancement of knowledge in the community. Some types and their limits may therefore be imprecise.**This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

Produced as part of the St. Lawrence Action Plan, the Atlas of Territories of Interest for Conservation in the St. Lawrence Lowlands shows the sites where conservation needs are the most pressing. The conservation targets selected (coarse filter) are forest environments, wetlands, open environments (wastelands, perennial crops) and aquatic environments to which are added elements of the fine filter such as exceptional aquatic environments associated with the St. Lawrence corridor (e.g. spawning grounds), alvars, bird colonies, wildlife elements (e.g. nesting sites of Bank Swallows and Chimney Swift, etc.) and important floristic occurrences. Our objective is to determine the sites of interest until a representative threshold of 20% is reached. The geospatial data associated with sites of interest for conservation, the user guide, the methodological report, the metadata as well as the detailed mapping of land use in the St. Lawrence Lowlands, which was an essential basic data for producing this atlas, are available for download. Users can therefore more accurately consult the spatial distribution of sites of interest and the conservation value associated with each plot of habitat for conservation targets (forest environments, wetlands, wastelands, perennial crops, aquatic environments) using geographic information systems (e.g. ArcGIS). Users can also adapt the analysis of this data to their territorial reality and according to specific objectives specific to their interests. Since the conservation of natural environments and species in precarious situations is a shared responsibility, this Atlas will make it possible to meet the priorities of the many organizations involved in the conservation of natural environments in the St. Lawrence Lowlands.**This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

***** This project was carried out by Environment and Climate Change Canada in collaboration with the MDDELCC as part of the St. Lawrence Action Plan (PASL). Since 1988, the governments of Canada and Quebec have worked together to conserve and enhance the St. Lawrence River as part of the St. Lawrence Action Plan (PASL). One of the projects identified under the theme of biodiversity conservation is the development of an integrated plan for the conservation of natural environments and biodiversity in the St. Lawrence. Identifying priority natural environments for the conservation of biodiversity was the first step in this planning exercise. However, planning for the conservation of natural environments requires having a fair, reliable, accurate and current image of the spatial distribution of ecosystems in the study area. In order to produce an Atlas of territories of interest for conservation in the St. Lawrence Lowlands, an updated mapping of land use in this vast territory was therefore undertaken. This project required the obtaining of reliable information on the natural environments of the St. Lawrence Lowlands. Although numerous and excellent cartographic products already exist to delimit different types of environments, they often cover well-circumscribed regions and it was therefore particularly important to obtain a homogeneous product throughout the territory. At the same time, this makes it possible to obtain the best information on its various components: Agricultural, aquatic, anthropogenic, wooded, humid environments as well as wastelands and bare soils. The mapping of land use in the St. Lawrence Lowlands is thus mainly based on grouping and improving the best existing products for each of the themes.**This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**