Since they are essential environments for wildlife, eleven categories of habitats benefit from legal protection in Quebec. Together, they protect a great diversity of wildlife species, including fish, crustaceans, molluscs, certain large mammals, such as caribou and deer, as well as numerous species of seabirds and waterfowl. Among the protected habitats, there are also those of endangered or vulnerable wildlife species. ### #LOI AND REGULATIONS * Wildlife Conservation and Development Act * Wildlife Habitat Regulation * Regulation on threatened or vulnerable wildlife species and their habitats ### #LISTE LEGALLY PROTECTED WILDLIFE HABITATS * Area of concentration of waterbirds * Caribou calving area north of the 52nd parallel * Caribou use area south of the 52nd parallel * White-tailed deer containment area * Cliff inhabited by a bird colony * Island or peninsula inhabited by a bird colony * Habitat of a threatened or vulnerable wildlife species * Heron (including the nest and the 0-200 m and 200-500 m bands that surround it) * Fish habitat * Muskrat habitat * Mudflat A shape file exists for all wildlife habitats in the province of Quebec. Wildlife habitats located on mixed and private lands are also found for information purposes. ### #SOURCES CARTOGRAPHIC Wildlife habitats are digitized using as a reference, in particular: * Quebec topographic database (BDTQ); * Domain layer of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests (MRNF); * Administrative divisions of Quebec on a scale of 1/20,000; * Digital imagery. References may vary depending on the case. Other sources can also be used ### #MISE DATA UPDATE The updating of wildlife habitat data follows a variable planning according to the habitat category and according to the inventories carried out and the needs of regional and central departments. ### #Mise on guard: The digital version of geo-descriptive data describing wildlife habitats is produced from a legal perspective of location, protection and management of habitats. In fact, only the digital version that has been published in the Official Gazette of Quebec is recognized as legal.**This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

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).**