Ecological integrity monitoring

La Mauricie National Park

Keeping an eye on the health of national parks is known as Ecological Integrity Monitoring. Walking in the forest to count animals, pouring over data gathered by cameras, or recording bird calls in the early morning! Ecological Integrity Monitoring is all that and more.

Like us, ecosystems are sensitive to stress. Human activity, exotic species and air pollution are some examples of pressures that disrupt natural processes. Ecological integrity monitoring is essential to understanding the effect these pressures have on the health of forest, freshwater and wetlands ecosystems within La Mauricie National Park.

Ecological integrity monitoring provide information on the state of some components of park ecosystems to determine if ecosystems are functioning normally. Data is used to monitor the overall health of the park. Based on this program, we are the able to determine whether, or what concrete measures should be taken to manage, restore and improved the quality of damaged ecosystems.


A young oak plant in a forest.

Forest

Covering 93% of the park’s territory, the forests are vital to supporting species diversity.

A waterfall on a sunny day.

Freshwater

Human activity has significantly altered the park’s aquatic environment.

Vegetation surrounds a small pond.

Wetlands

Wetlands are natural engineering systems, rich in wildlife, that keep our environment healthy.

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