To protect the lake located a very long distance from their home, the swamp along the road to the entrance to their town or the swampy home of herons and sparrows, Quebecers are willing to do more. According to one study, the money they will spend out of pocket for the preservation and restoration of wetlands will exceed the envelope that Quebec has already allocated to it.
This was observed by the Canada Research Chair in Ecological Economics, which sought to determine whether the State’s commitment to protecting these environments was consistent with Quebecers ’interest in them.
According to the results, Quebecers are willing to make an annual donation of $ 42.55, or the equivalent of $ 280 million, to a local environmental organization responsible for restoring wetlands. A contribution already will prove beyond the protection offered by lawthe study says.
In the population of Quebec, there is an appetite to protect these environmentsemphasizes Jérôme Dupras, holder of the research chair, who sees here a convincing change in perception.
If the same exercise were performed 20 years ago, it would be a safe bet that people would not be quick to approach to protect these environments, even less to pay for their conservation and restorationsaid the professor of ecological economics in the Department of Natural Sciences at the University of Quebec in Outaouais.
” This demand is well crystallized, we see it in almost all regions of Quebec, in significant amounts. The signal it gives us is that people are ready to do more. “
The majority of Quebecers across the province who participated in the survey conducted by the firm Léger said they were concerned about the loss of wetlands (83%), including 13% who were extremely worried and 29 % very worried.
If the Ministry of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change estimated that wetlands represent 10% of Quebec’s territory, or approximately 17 million hectares, they sometimes occupied a larger area before being made available. damaged by urban development, forests and agricultural exploitation, in particular.
In 2005, a moratorium on the destruction of wetlands was called for, as more than 80% of them were converted into watersheds of metropolitan areas.explained by Jérôme Dupras.
The destruction of these environments results in the loss of ecological functions that are nevertheless beneficial, especially in this. period of climate changehe continued.
Asked to identify the benefits of wetlands for which they are most valued, study participants put protecting the quality and quantity of drinking water at the top of their list.
Although the preferences expressed by respondents were consistent across the province, some regions were more focused on protecting wetlands. This is the case for the most urbanized regions, such as Montreal, Lanaudière, Laurentians and Laval, where we see a stronger willingness to pay.
Only null or negative consent was observed in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean. We can hypothesize that there is less sensitivity within the population, because there is more availability of these media, or even […] that the use of these environments is less direct for residentsbelieves Mr. Dupras.
Conversely, residents of regions where urban development took place at the expense of these environments, which had deteriorated over the years, were made aware of the importance of their care.
Citizens and elected officials may be sensitive to the issue, as evidenced by the regulation adopted in April by the Montreal Metropolitan Community (CMM) to protect more than 12,000 acres of the natural environment and the habitat of the Western chorus frog, a endangered species. . Under this by-law, it is prohibited to build or carry out any work in targeted wetlands and terrestrial environments.
This decision is welcomed from all sides, according to Jérôme Dupras. No one raised a hand to say too much, that we are setting another trap in the housing crisis. We met great value [de la protection de ces milieux]both to elected officials and [dans] pressure groups.
Compensate violating promoters
This investigation by the Canada Research Chair in Ecological Economics is timely: the MRC are developing their regional plans for the protection of wetlands, which they must submit to the Ministry of the Environment on 16 June.
Contacted by Radio-Canada, the ministry did not specify a date on which the government intends to endorse all of these plans. RCMs have already requested extensions because they believe they will not meet the deadline.
Under the Act relating to the conservation of wetlands and water forms, the Quebec Government decided to transfer responsibilities to the MRCs. They will now have the duty to identify wetlands in their territory, accept or reject development projects that are in danger of leading to the destruction of these environments and to ensure, if necessary, that compensation is provided.
Quebecers already contribute to the protection of these environments through the taxes they pay. The government is providing approximately $ 150 million over five years to conservation organizations to acquire wetlands in private areasexplained by Jérôme Dupras.
Under the law, Quebec has another way of funding the restoration of wetlands: by transferring the bill to the real estate developers responsible for their destruction.
The law works in principle avoid, reduce, pay for, or avoid the destruction of these environments, reduce the impact of city development and compensate if there is damage. In the latter case, the government made no net losses.
This means that, for each section of wetland destroyed, the proponent must pay an amount (proportional to the area destroyed) to a consolidated fund. These funds should allow the MRC to return a wetland to the same watershed.
Since the law was enacted, nearly 80 million dollars have been accumulated in restoration funds, according to Jérôme Dupras.
It must be understood that the plans in the region [rendus nécessaires par la loi] is a mechanism, not new moneyhe nuances.
If the government allows additional funding up to $ 280 million assessed in the survey, the funds could be directed to the regions. where little is left in the wetland and the losses in the wetland precede law enforcementsays the study.
Jérôme Dupras is also concerned about the estimate made to ensure the restoration of damaged environments. Although it is difficult to assess how much it will cost to stimulate a damaged wetland, partial data suggests that the formula currently used to determine the amount to be paid is inadequate.
What could happen in the next few years is that we are destroying environments of high ecological value and we don’t have the necessary funds to recreate them.Mr. Dupras advances carefully.
The importance of wetlands diversity
Another obstacle can affect the efficiency of restoration.
Because wetlands are very diverse-and therefore endowed with very different functions-one’s destruction can only be compensated for by restoring an environment that is similar in all aspects. Restoring a lake after the loss of a bog will not have the same effect.
” What is detrimental to the law is that we put all the wet soil in one bag, when there is a real diversity of functions that is not taken into account. “
We will need to look closely at the regional plans that RCMs will submit to see if this important difference has been made. Of those who have already submitted their approach, some have recognized this ecological diversitygreeted by Mr. Dupras. But others do not.He added.
Far from wanting to be pessimistic, the professor of ecological economics judged included in the law, which has long been a request, beautiful element and remains perfect.
In an ideal world, Jérôme Dupras wanted to establish restoration goals, or even benefits, for certain watersheds. The solution, according to him, lies first and foremost in rejecting zoning changes that will allow the destruction of these environments.
This is a good time to think about what we do in our wetlands. We are in the process of thinking about a national strategy for land use planning, he said. I think the ground is fertile so we can do a little more.
Source: Radio-Canada
