Groulx Mountains - Uapishka

 

 

With an area of 1,382 km², the Uapishka Biodiversity Reserve (meaning “perpetually snow-covered rocky summit” in Innu-aimun) is one of the few protected areas in Quebec to enjoy permanent protection status.

 

Rising to over 800 meters, the peaks of Monts Groulx - Uapishka are home to particularly fragile arctic-alpine plants. This mountain range is also home to a number of exceptional forest ecosystems and provides habitat for several species at risk, like the woodland caribou, golden eagle, bald eagle, rock vole and pygmy weasel. As early as 2003, SNAP Québec became involved in the protection of this sector. At the time, the mining industry was threatening the Monts Groulx mountain chain, but the engagement of many local groups and citizens helped secure permanent protection for the mountain range.

Despite this permanent protection status, the Monts Groulx-Uapishka are not completely safe from the harmful impacts of human activities: snowmobiling, which is prohibited in the summit zone, compromises the ecological integrity of the protected area. In 2016, the Manicouagan-Uapishka World Biosphere Reserve therefore undertook a concertation exercise on the practice of snowmobiling in this sector with the various regional stakeholders and users, in which SNAP Québec is collaborating.

 

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