The Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM) has adopted a new by-law that will make it possible to protect 12,367 hectares of additional natural environment and the entire habitat of the Western Chorus Frog, an endangered species that plays a “whistleblower” role for to other endangered species.
Prohibited by the new Interim Control Regulation (ICR). any construction, structure, work or activity in the terrestrial and wetland environment of metropolitan interest targeted by CMM and in the chorus frog habitatreading the press release released by CMM Thursday morning.
Our people are demanding to fight climate changeat I want to tell you that we don’t have time to fool aroundsaid the mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, at a press conference Thursday morning.
With this regulation, we prevent pressure on our natural environments and protect the rarest species in a specific situation.added another who is also president of CMM.
Thus, a total of 53,435 acres, or 22% of the territory of Greater Montreal, an area equivalent to the island of Montreal, will now undergo conservation measures, according to CMM.
The chorus frog, a kind of canary in mine
If the chorus frog has been making headlines for decades and if it’s been so important to biologists, it’s because it’s a type of canary in the wetlands mine, according to the Association des biologistes du Québec.
It’s pretty emblematic of wetlands, because it needs very specific wetlands, so it’s like a whistleblower telling us that our wetland ecosystem is disappearing.indicated Chantal d’Auteuil, director general of the Association of Biologists of Quebec, by specifying that when one protects it, one protects the other endangered species.
Finally there is a lead, very good startsaid the biologist about the announcement of CMM.
By reducing urbanization-related pressures in some wetlands, the new regulations will dramatically make it possible to protect the habitats of various endangered species such as the smallest bittern, a water bird, the American ginseng, daisies, herbs and alvar.
To optimize the protection of ecosystems, it is better that natural environments be linked by ecological corridor or some green corridor rather than isolated from one another, to promote the movement of species.
Anne Keough, biologist in the Metropolitan Community of Montreal, indicated that approximately 80% of the 53,000 acres will be subject to conservation are forest and forest corridorswhich therefore allows the continuation of ecological corridors.
An announcement unrelated to CN’s actions
Wednesday, every day The Press We are told that the Canadian National (CN) destroyed without permission a wetland in Longueuil, which houses one of the last habitats of the chorus frog.
But the announcement of new regulations regarding natural environments has nothing to do with this incident.
This is an unfortunate opportunityindicated the Mayor of Longueuil, Catherine Fournier, who specified in August 2021 that the NC backfilled part of the chorus frog habitat in the Darveau marsh and that while conducting a batrachian inventory a few weeks ago, environmental organizations noticed the destruction of a wetland, as ‘reported The Press.
Unfortunately, the new by-law will not make it possible to ensure that such an event does not happen again, the mayor indicated, given the status of this company, which is under federal jurisdiction.
A communication campaign
At the press briefing, the director general of CMM, Massimo Iezzoni, indicated that he is not afraid that the possible protection of 22% of the territory of Greater Montreal could frighten some promoters.
What promoters are demanding is predictability, so now we’re sending out a temporary regulatory regulatory, but the next step, we need to have a promotional campaign to let all of our partners and our promoters know that now, in metropolitan scale, an element of protection applicable to the level of municipalitiessaid Mr. Iezzoni.
An interactive map of all protected environments will soon be published and the new by-law should take effect once it is approved by the Minister of Municipalities and Housing, within a maximum of 60 days.
Source: Radio-Canada
