Managing large parks
The city's Division de la gestion des grands parcs (large park management division) is responsible for presenting the natural and cultural heritage of large parks and making such heritage accessible to the public through the coordinated management of urban and metropolitan parks.
The division achieves this goal by focusing its efforts on conservation, environmental education, outdoor recreation and partnerships.
Integrated nature park management
The city has adopted an integrated management campaign over the past decade to reduce conflicts between conservation efforts and the desire to use nature parks for recreational purposes. Subsequent development and maintenance activities (ranging from planning to implementation) have been geared to ensuring the preservation and enhancement of ecosystems, landscapes and facilities.
In 1994, the city instituted an ecosystem management program that emphasizes concepts of ecological value and environmental fragility. At that time, the city instituted a set of inventories pertaining to the biological and physical elements of its environment (fauna, flora, soil texture, slope, etc.). These inventories served to update and to augment existing information on the various ecosystems present in the city's nature parks. This work was conducted in conjunction with the city by researchers from the Institut de recherche en biologie végétale (IRBV) and resulted in the production of a significant database. Geomatic information was simultaneously developed so that the relevant ecological information could be displayed on thematic maps. This effort provided the ecosystem management team with effective and reliable tools for developing multiple monitoring programs.
In 1998, landscape management was included in such efforts. The city developed a process for assessing the diversity of different landscapes within its nature parks and ultimately defined the appropriate development and maintenance efforts that would serve to maintain or enhance such experiences.
Since 1999, composite maps have been used to illustrate the various activities carried out under each management program (ecosystem, landscape and facilities). The integrated management maps are essential to decision making by land-use planners and managers.
The nature park network
This network of nine urban fringe parks, six of which are open to the public, was devoted to conservation from its very start. These parks provide Montrealers with a series of windows on three bodies of water which border the island of Montréal and Bizard Island: Deux Montagnes Lake, des Prairies River and the St. Lawrence River. Six of the nine parks in this network are currently open to the public and this set of protected spaces represents one third of the green space that remains on the island of Montréal.
Montréal's nature parks total 1,368 hectares in size, with 924 hectares now open to the public and 444 hectares scheduled to eventually become accessible The following list provides a summary of some of the biological and physical features of these parks:
- 24 km of shorelines
- 657 hectares of woodlands
- 233 hectares of unimproved land
- 448 hectares of fields
- 15 hectares of marshland
- 15 developed hectares
- 3 natural beaches
- 61 km of hiking trails
- 42 km of bike paths
- 90 km of cross country ski trails
- 1,700 parking spaces
- 54 buildings
Coordinated management of city and metropolitan parks
Under section 94 of Appendix 1 of The Act to reform the municipal territorial organization of the metropolitan regions of Montréal, Québec and the Outaouais (2000, Chapter 56), the city council decided at its meeting of December 20, 2001 that urban parks, nature parks and large urban parks would fall under the city council's authority. The authority for maintaining metropolitan and large urban parks has, however, been delegated by by-law to the boroughs in which they are situated.
In addition to representatives of the city's central departments and boroughs, outside workers provide recreational or educational services in some of the city's large parks or may eventually do so. It has thus become essential to set up a method of coordination to ensure that all concerned parties are consulted and heard and that their interdependence is recognized in view of providing optimal service to the public and sustainability of park developments and activities. Coordinated management involves building a structure based on teamwork and on the cooperation of the different players. Such a system is aimed at achieving consensus on shared values with the prime objective of provided quality sites and services to the public on a continuous basis. A process of coordinated management also seeks to promote mutual recognition so that each party is able to appreciate the roles, responsibilities and obligations of each of the parties and their respective abilities to respond to requests by means of a more efficient organizational and communications structure and a rigorous approach to budget planning.
Bureau de projets (project office)
Within a context of sustainable development, the Bureau de projets is responsible for protecting natural environments by employing such different tools and coordinated planning, negotiation and acquisition and by developing business partnerships aimed at developing and financing the city's network of large parks and the Blue Network.
The Bureau de projets is also responsible for the implementation and delivery to Montrealers of projects that have been identified by the Direction en matière de sports, de parcs et d'espaces verts as being metropolitan in nature, and to do so at the lowest possible cost.
Policies and areas of expertise
The division develops policies, strategies and action plans In view of offering Montréal residents safe and high quality facilities and activities that meet their needs.
The division thus provides city administration as a whole with special expertise in the following fields:
- Montréal's network of large parks
- The Green and Blue networks.
- Greening and open spaces.
- Playing fields.
