Ottawa to fund 56 projects to protect species at risk

Steven Guilbeault, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, was in Montreal Monday morning to announce funding for 56 conservation projects across the country.

The Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk provides funding for projects submitted by communities, individuals and non-governmental organizations to protect species at risk in their region.

Guilbeault announced $7.5 million in funding for 56 projects, including 12 in Quebec, which will share nearly $1.5 million.

Among them is the Centre d'interprétation du milieu écologique du Haut-Richelieu, which works to conserve the habitat of species at risk such as the chimney swift, the least bittern and the spreading aster in the Montérégie region.

• IN PHOTOS: 21 Species at Risk in Quebec

In addition, the St. Lawrence Valley Natural History Society will obtain funding to add mitigation measures to existing road developments, such as fencing, wildlife crossings and shoulder modifications, in order to reduce road mortality for certain species.

Nature Quebec will also obtain funding to protect certain species at risk in southern Quebec.

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on March 4, 2024.