IUCN WCPA CCSG logos

Quebec Ecological Corridors Initiative: 3rd ground testing of IUCN Connectivity Guidelines

Vision map of the Quebec Ecological Corridors Initiative (courtesy of QECI / NCC)

Since April 2023, the Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC) — which hosts the secretariat for the IUCN WCPA Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group — has been working alongside the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) to advance planning and implementation of ecological corridors in Quebec. Based on operationalizing the IUCN Guidelines for ecological corridors in the context of ecological networks, this project follows in the footsteps of pilot workshops held in 2019 in Romania and 2023 in Turkmenistan.

The focus of this project is to use best practices defined by the IUCN Guidelines to establish and carry out a collaborative process among NCC and local partners to write management and monitoring plans for three ecological corridors in Quebec. These ecological corridors have varying objectives, rightsholders and stakeholders, and data availabilities, and are part of the Quebec Ecological Corridors Initiative (QECI). QECI was launched in 2017 to accelerate the conservation of natural areas connected by ecological corridors. The initiative is coordinated by NCC and led by a group of 10 organizations. The group offers a collective approach to land use planning and advises provincial and municipal governments, woodlot owners, farmers and other key stakeholders. The group also carries out mobilization, capacity building, recognition and support activities throughout southern Quebec.

Hiking trail near Val-David, Quebec (courtesy of G. Oppler).

As of 2025, CLLC, NCC, and partners have made great progress in three identified corridors: Gaspésie, Mauricie, and Plaisance-to-Tremblant (P2T). 

  • The Gaspésie Corridor seeks to link Forillon National Park and Gaspésie National Parks on the wild Gaspé Peninsula, home to old growth forest, a thriving timber industry, and emblematic species such as the American marten.
  • The Mauricie Corridor links Mauricie National Park with other intact habitats in south-central Quebec along the Saint Lawrence River, a complex mosaic of public, private, and developed land crisscrossed by wetlands and forests rich with species from wolves and bears to turtles and salamanders.
  • The Plaisance-to-Tremblant (P2T) Corridor traverses the Laurentians from Mont Tremblant National Park to Plaisance National Park — an expanse of land dotted with agriculture, timber, smaller protected areas, and popular with recreationists.

Stakeholder workshop in the Mauricie Corridor (courtesy of R. Derriey, Environnement Mauricie).

In all three corridors, a two-phase approach is being taken. In Phase 1, local NGO and government partners are hosting workshops with a broad swatch of stakeholders to gather input on the corridor’s objectives, values, threats, and governance. Phase 2 will focus on specific management actions to achieve the corridors’ objectives, and monitoring schemes to track certain indicators of progress. Access the Phase 1 workshop report from Mauricie. Other documentation will be posted here as the project progresses.

Workshop materials from the Mauricie Corridor (courtesy of R. Derriey, Environnement Mauricie).