Wildlife Habitats (HAFA) contains data for the 11 legal wildlife habitats located on land under the domain of the State and is protected under the Wildlife Habitat Regulations (RHF). There are also HAFAs located on mixed and private lands for information purposes. Since they are essential environments for wildlife, the eleven habitats benefit from legal protection in Quebec. __The conservation of wildlife species and their habitats is beneficial for biodiversity. Each of these species plays an important role in our ecosystems.__ ### #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. Last publication of wildlife habitats: November 17, 2022.**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 must meet the definition of protected area under the Natural Heritage Conservation Act (LCPN; RLRQ, chapter C-61.01) or that of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The definition of the LCPN is “A protected area is a territory, in a terrestrial or aquatic environment, geographically delimited, whose legal framework and administration are aimed specifically 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”. An area of importance for conservation is a geographically delimited territory, for which the Ministry of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change (MELCC) 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).**