Register of protected areas and ECAs in Quebec

These themes present the compilation of protected areas in Quebec. They also include important territories. Protected areas include a variety of different legal or administrative designations. Territories registered on the Register of Protected Areas and AMCEAs must meet the definitions of the Natural Heritage Conservation Act (LCPN; RLRQ, chapter C-61.01) or those of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The LCPN definition of a protected area is “A protected area is a territory, in a terrestrial or aquatic environment, geographically delimited, whose legal framework and administration are specifically aimed at ensuring the protection and maintenance of biological diversity and associated natural and cultural resources”. While IUCN defines it as “A clearly defined, recognized, recognized, dedicated and managed geographic space, by any effective legal or other means, in order to ensure the long-term conservation of nature and associated ecosystem services and cultural values.” Other effective conservation measures (ECMA), an internationally recognized concept, are areas that benefit from measures (legal, regulatory or other) to preserve biodiversity outside protected areas in the long term. Unlike a protected area, an ECMA does not necessarily have an overriding conservation objective, but still generates positive, sustainable and effective results for biodiversity. A territory of importance for conservation is a geographically delimited territory, for which the Ministry of the Environment and, of the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks (MELCCFP) or an authority of the Government of Quebec has expressed its intention to prioritize its allocation for the purposes of protected areas. **This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**