Transcript
La Mauricie National Park has three main ecosystems: the forest ecosystem, which covers 93% of the park’s territory. There are also 150 lakes and hundreds of kilometres of waterways that make up our aquatic ecosystems.
And we also have about 20 kilometres of wetlands in the area. Ecological integrity is the desired state for national parks. It is a state that is undisturbed by humans. The species present in the territory are those that were there naturally and the ecological processes, such as the water regime of the rivers and lakes, are natural.
This is truly a healthy state for the parks. Ecosystems are fine when they are in a state of integrity. When the data we collect on an ad hoc basis shows us ecosystems that are healthy, all we do is continue to monitor to ensure that the ecosystems remain in a state of very good quality.
On the other hand, if the ecosystem is fair or poor, or in a degraded state, integrity restoration programs will be initiated. For example, in La Mauricie National Park, the condition of the forests is considered poor because the forests are very old.
In fact, forest fires have been systematically extinguished for decades. Fire has not played its renewal role in the forest ecosystems. Some species, such as pines and oaks, are still dependent on fire for regeneration. These species are disappearing from the national park landscape.
This is why, 30 years ago a prescribed burning program was undertaken to ensure that the forests were renewed in line with the ecological role of fire. One of the ecological integrity measures that we are going to monitor is the moose and wolf situation. Wolves are at the top of the food chain in the forests of La Mauricie National Park.
It is desirable and very healthy for ecosystems to support wolf populations and there are various examples. In the absence of wolves, moose will over-graze the forests. They can really change the forest landscape of a territory.
This winter, we will monitor the number of packs and the number of individuals per pack present in the Mauricie region using photographic traps and tracking. We will also monitor the owls as a winter activity to ensure ecological integrity.
Nesting begins very early, in late winter and early spring. So, by using stations where we listen to the owls, we are able to establish a relative abundance of the different species. Another measure of ecological integrity that we will be working on this winter is water quality.
In winter, we are interested in the amount of oxygen in the water of the lakes. With several months of ice cover, there are places where oxygen becomes more and more scarce in the lakes.
The monitoring allows us to measure whether the oxygen level in the water still allows the aquatic fauna to thrive. As water is the physical habitat of our aquatic species, it is crucial that the water quality be good in order to support healthy ecosystems.