A ‘natural gem’ under protection in Lotbinière

In the shade of deciduous and coniferous trees, the Chin River winds its way, home to woodland turtles and grouse fish, two endangered species in Canada.

Moose, deer, bears and Canadian lynx mingle in the 162 kilometer long forest.², under the song of no less than 142 species of birds. Expeditions in the woods have brought to light two types of mushrooms that are not yet known in Quebec.

It is, in our view, a gem that must be preserved, refers to Norman Cote, Governor of the MRC de Lotbinière.

He’s not the only one who thinks that. According to the Chaudière-Appalaches Regional Environmental Council, the coastal forest of Lotbinière is the place with the highest ecological potential in the entire region.

Already, in early 2010, the Friends of the Forest at the Seigneury of Lotbinière were working on a project to protect part of the territory. Then the Ministry of Environment immediately rejected the initiative.

At that time, we used the big brush method, explains Jean-Pierre Ducruc, head of the Friends of the Forest under Lutbénière. We have proposed a 500-meter protection on both sides of the Shin River.

Then hit suggestion face to face Logging, which took off in the seventies in the coastal forest.

Last Wednesday, Jean-Pierre Ducroque presented, this time accompanied by the Governor of Luetbeiner, a new version of the project (A new window)More modest in the ministry.

A decade later, the reception was favorable. This seems like a good time to set up a biodiversity reserve in the Seigneury Forest in Lotbinière.

We felt a lot of openness and listeningNorman Coeté, Governor of Lutebénière, is excited about this latest meeting.

You must move quickly. We had a political promise.

Designating a biodiversity reserve would prevent any industrial activity in an area totaling 11 km², richer from an environmental point of view.

The reserve will follow the lines of the Rivière du Chien Valley. Gentle activities, such as walking, will be allowed there. Any logging, maple syrup, and gas exploitation will be prohibited there.

Don’t put a glass bell on it: people can still go for a walk, just to get to know this beauty we have.

The biodiversity reserve will be added to the rare protected areas of Chaudière-Appalaches, an area that is doing poorly in terms of nature protection in Quebec (A new window).

At the end of March 2021, only 6% of its territory was protected, i.e. 963 km², according to the Quebec Register of Protected Areas. Only Laval (0.82%), Montergues (3.85%), Ottaways (6.6%), Istrae (3.5%), Center-de-Quebec (2%) protect areas less than their own.