Species protection

The Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve considers biodiversity and collaborates with several expert groups on the protection and recovery of species facing conservation issues on its territory. Among other things, pursuing these collaborations enables a better understanding of the ecological requirements, habitats, use of the territory and population dynamics of protected species. This allows the implementation of appropriate conservation strategies for these species.

Several animal and plant species present on the islands of the Mingan Archipelago and the surrounding landscape are endangered or at risk at the federal level. Other occurring species are threatened or vulnerable at the provincial level. The lists presented below will change as population assessments are updated by provincial and federal authorities.

List of protected species in the Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve under the federal Act

Many species found in the park reserve are protected under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA). This legislation represents a commitment by the federal government to protect declining species that are at risk of becoming endangered in Canada if nothing is done to restore the situation. According to this law, a species is considered endangered when it is facing imminent extinction, threatened when it is likely to become endangered if the factors affecting the species are not reversed, and of special concern when it may become threatened due to the cumulative effect of threats they are exposed to.

In addition to the species listed as species at risk in Canada, other species living on the territory of Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve are also on the list of species designated as threatened or vulnerable to extinction in Quebec, under the Act Respecting Threatened or Vulnerable Species. At the scale of the province of Quebec, in which the Mingan Archipelago is located, a species is considered threatened when its disappearance is feared, vulnerable when its survival is precarious even if its disappearance is not apprehended and likely to be designated as threatened or vulnerable when it requires special attention.

Protected species profiles

Under the Species at Risk Act, the federal, provincial and territorial signatory governments have recognized the importance of establishing legislation and programs that provide effective protection for wildlife species at risk across Canada. Parks Canada is responsible for the development of action plans on its territory for those species whose recovery has been deemed feasible. Therefore, conservation measures are implemented for species at risk in Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve, including Red Knot (Rufa subspecies), Northern long-eared bat and Little brown bat.

The Red Knot (rufa subspecies)

The Red Knot (Rufa subspecies) is an endangered migratory shorebird. In decline since the 2000s, it is subject to protection and recovery programs in Canada. Parks Canada participates in these programs and in the implementation of conservation measures for the species.

Rufa breeds only in Canada and migrates thousands of kilometers between its Arctic breeding grounds and its wintering grounds in Argentina. The coastal environment of the Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve provides an essential protected migratory stopover, rich in food, allowing it to rest and accumulate the fat reserves necessary for its migration.

Learn more about the Red Knot (Rufa subspecies) of the Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve. (link to come)

Learn more about the Learn more about the recovery strategy of the Red Knot

Learn more about the Shorebird monitoring in Canada

Northern Long-Eared Bat and Little Brown Bat

The Little brown bat and the Northern long-eared bat are among the five (5) species of Chiroptera that visit the territory of the Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve. These insectivorous bats are excellent hunters! Every night, they can eat the equivalent of half their weight in insects. This way, they contribute to the natural regulation of forest insect populations.

Little brown bats and Northern long-eared bats have recently been added to the at risk species list in Canada. Canadian populations of these two bat species have been declining since the accidental introduction of Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the fungus responsible for White-nose Syndrome (WNS).

The white-nose syndrome is an exotic white fungus. Affected individuals show white spots on the muzzle, ears and wings. The deadly fungal disease has become so widespread that it has reached epidemic proportion. The 2019 data showed that over 90% of the Canadian populations of Little brown bats and Northern long-eared bats have been decimated in the last 10 years.

What are we doing to help these species?

Before 2016, we knew very little about the Chiroptera populations on the territory of the Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve. Since 2015, the Park Reserve Conservation Team and its partners have been gathering as much information as possible about the populations of bats that frequent the islands of the Mingan Archipelago.

1. Monitoring populations of all species of bat;
2. Identifying gestational and nesting locations;
3. Biological tissue analysis to determine if individuals carry WNS.

To monitor the populations, we carry out acoustic surveys. Each bat species emits unique echolocation signals. For example, Little brown bat emits a high frequency call (between 40 to 80 kHz) while the Northern long-eared bat can emit a shorter and higher pitch (between 60 to 126 kHz).

Learn more about bats and Parks Canada