The Montagnes Blanches

A protected area of 10 000 km²

In November 2017, the Quebec government announced the creation of the large Caribous-Forestiers-de-Manouane-Manicouagan Protected Area in the Montagnes blanches sector, a long-awaited action following 10 years of hard work by CPAWS Quebec.

The 10 000 km² protected area, located in the heart of the boreal forest, is a priority area for the recovery of woodland caribou, a species designated as “threatened” in Canada since 2002. The protected area was officially added to the register of protected areas in 2020.

However, CPAWS Quebec questions the exclusion of another sector considered a priority for habitat protection and caribou recovery. The area of approximately 2000 km² is located north of Lake Manouane, itself 250 km north of the city of Saguenay, in the heart of the Montagnes blanches. There will be an opportunity to improve the protected area proposal during the upcoming consultations the Bureau d'Audiences Publiques sur l'Environnement will hold regarding granting permanent protected status.