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Natural resource management on the territory of Réserve faunique Ashuapmushuan is a responsibility of the government, more specifically of the Ministère de la Forêt, de la Faune et des Parcs (ministry of forests, wildlife, and parks, or MFFP) and the Ministère de l’Énergie et des ressources naturelles (ministry of energy and natural resources, or MERN). Given the specific nature of wildlife reserves, they were given a “multiple modulated" vocation under the government’s Plans d’affectation du territoire public régionaux (regional public land use plans, or RPLUP), a vocation defined as the “multipurpose use of land and resources, with procedures or rules adapted to specific environmental, landscape, cultural, social, or economic conditions” (our translation). In other words, the management and use of natural resources, including forests and wildlife, must be carried out in an integrated manner by the government, i.e. taking into account all resources on the territory as well as the legal vocation of conserving and showcasing the fauna of the wildlife reserve.
In this regard, the forest of Réserve faunique Ashuapmushuan is exploited by designated holders of timber supply guarantees (DHTSG), i.e. forestry companies having a harvest agreement with the MFFP, based on forestry planning under the auspices of the MFFP since April 1, 2013. The Ministère is now in charge of developing tactical and operational integrated forest management plans (IFMP) at the scale of each management unit, taking into consideration, in particular, the allowable cut calculation carried out by the Chief Forester, work from local integrated resources tables and territory management tables (LIRTMT), the orientations and objectives pursued by the Government to the Regional Public Land Use Plans (PATP), the objectives of sustainable forest management as set out in the Law Sustainable Forest Management (LADTF), as well as the sustainable forest development objectives stipulated in the Sustainable Forest Development Act (SFDA). In the wake of this exercise, discussions are underway involving Sépaq, the MFFP, and representatives of forestry companies (DHTSG) aimed at integrating into forestry planning and interventions various measures or procedures designed to minimize conflicts of use and impacts on the wildlife and landscape, as well as on the environment in which recreational and wildlife-related activities are carried out in wildlife reserves.
In order to equip wildlife reserve managers in terms of integrated wildlife-forest-recreation forestry management and to guide the MFFP in harmonizing forestry planning for these unique territories so that the different types of forestry interventions are more predictable, better adapted, and more likely to help fulfil the particular vocation of wildlife reserves, Sépaq has carried out a number of so-called IRM (integrated resource management) projects.
The model forest of Lac-Saint-Jean lies in Réserve faunique Ashuapmushuan. It's a research lab in a forest environment. The lab's activities aid in the development of better sustainable forest management practices. The aim of improving these practices is to help communities that depend on these resources. To ensure the success of such a project, all of the area's stakeholders must work together for the well-being of the forest communities. Above all, a model forest is a sustainable forest management approach based on partnerships between the stakeholders and the community. Find out more
Covering an area of 276.6 km2, the aquatic reserve forms of corridor 0.6 to 6 km wide by 126 km long. This river is the third largest of Lac-Saint-Jean's 45 tributaries, after the Mistassini and Péribonka rivers. It's an ideal habitat for landlocked salmon and several other species. The river's hydrographic basin shelters many archaeological sites that bear witness to ancient occupants. The creation of this reserve now protects the river from all uses that could degrade its bed, banks or shoreline. Find out more (pdf in French only)
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