Ecosystem management

A means of reconciling the missions, interests, needs and means of preserving different environments and their resources

The ecosystem management program is a tool for planning the natural environment that seeks to optimize the coexistence of different elements of that environment, to provide adequate and suitable facilities and to develop and implement different activities for users. This program has been designed to improve understanding of the dynamics involved in the environments and landscapes that make up nature parks and offers a framework and a vision that permit informed decisions that express a concern for preserving and for protecting the natural environment. Any decision to take action is, accordingly, made following thorough deliberation.

The ecosystem management program seeks:

• To ensure protection and development of the city’s natural heritage.
• To maintain the biological diversity of plant and animal life.
• To detect any changes in biological and physical resources in the field.
• To provide concrete solutions to the consequences of man-made and natural disturbances on the ecological values of different environments through various forms of action.

The ecosystem management program seeks to preserve the natural heritage and where, possible to increase the value of such heritage, through different forms of action. This program is also essential for maintaining or for enhancing the high ecological value of a particular environment, for restoring degraded environments and for preventing future degradation.

The two components of the ecosystem management program:

The ecosystem management program has two components aimed at meeting its goals.

Planning component

• Produces inventories of natural (animal and plant) resources.
• Provides ecological assessments of the environment that are used to make maps synopsising ecological values and knowledge.
• Provides a planning process that sets guidelines for each of a park’s sectors.

Management component

• Carry out activities aimed at achieving specific goals, such as enhancing one section of a park through tree planting.
• Maintain the integrity of different ecosystems through various environmental monitoring activities.

Scientific data are collected on site and pooled to establish an ecological value for each zone representing a different plant community. Each ecological value map provides the portrait of a given park and offers a synopsis of available knowledge on its natural environment and characteristics. Such maps will subsequently serve in the environmental management process.

Monitoring program

The monitoring program is designed to quickly identify such changes in a natural environment as natural disturbances or those caused by the presence of humans.

• Impact of human presence.
• Exceptional plant community sites.
• Endangered or vulnerable plant and animal populations.
• Actions.
• Birdlife.
• Monitoring animal populations:
  - Management of beaver populations,
  - Prevention of diseases associated with raccoons and population control measures.
• Developments and facilities for animals: birdhouses, roosts, etc.
• Wetland water management.
• Special projects:
  - Impressive trees
  - Reintroduction of endangered plant life
  - Monitoring and control of plant pests
  - Action to be taken to protect wildlife and woody debris
  - Action to be taken to protect against plant diseases and insect pests
  - Tree maintenance activities.
• Landscape dynamics.