Quebec to invest $4.4 million for biodiversity in marine protected areas

A humpback whale swims near Tadoussac, August 13, 2014. (Jacques Boissinot/ The Canadian Press)

Quebec will invest $4.48 million into the St. Lawrence Action Fund to restore and enhance biodiversity in marine protected areas.

Environment Minister Benoit Charette made the announcement in a press release on Tuesday.

According to the news release, the funding comes from the $650 million Nature 2030 Plan, which is Quebec's response to achieving the objectives set out in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

• PHOTO GALLERY: Marine mammals of the St. Lawrence Estuary

The restoration program in the St. Lawrence will be used in particular for "knowledge transfer projects to raise awareness among key partners of the impacts of human activities on coastal and marine natural environments, and to equip them, among other things, to implement restoration projects using marine plants."

Charette wrote that, with this program, "our government hopes to carry out concrete restoration actions in marine protected areas to improve the health of these essential ecosystems."

He added that "by improving coastal environments, this program will also contribute to regional economic and recreational tourism development," and he "invites interested organizations to participate in large numbers."

The news release stated that "financial assistance will be granted over the next four fiscal years, with a maximum amount of $2 million for 2023-2024 to fund a maximum number of projects in the first call for projects, followed by a maximum amount of $620,000 for the fiscal years 2024-2025 to 2027-2028."

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 9, 2024.