Voluntary Conservation in Quebec: Meeting with the Director of the Protected Natural Areas Network

Present in Canada through the VIE program for nearly a year, Adrien Pajot, responsible for the development of Natural Solutions, had the opportunity to explore the local stakeholders and the subject of voluntary conservation—a topic as captivating as it is essential in reversing the trend of biodiversity erosion. In this article, we describe his interview with Brice Caillié, Director of the Protected Natural Areas Network.

Brice Caillé

Brice Caillié is a geographer and geomatician. He got a bachelor's degree in geography from Sorbonne University and a master's degree in environment from the University of Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée. After a first experience in flood forecasting in southern France, he decided to specialize in geomatics through a Master's in Geographic Sciences program at the University of Sherbrooke, in partnership with the Appalachian Corridor. After completing his master's degree, he worked at Géomont before becoming a consultant in social and environmental geography, assisting non-profit organizations (NPOs) in their missions. He joined the Protected Natural Areas Network in July 2019.

"Brice, could you please introduce yourself and explain what the Protected Natural Areas Network is?

"I'm Brice Caillié, the General Director of the Protected Natural Areas Network (PNAN). So, the Protected Natural Areas Networkis is a non-profit organization that represents, unites, supports, and provides training for individuals, organizations, municipalities, and companies involved in voluntary conservation."

What is voluntary conservation?

"Voluntary conservation involves taking responsibility for preserving natural heritage on private land. It relies on individual initiative and commitment. However, increasingly, organizations, often run by volunteers, are forming to acquire and manage these lands. The idea is that an individual or organization purchases land and commits to conserving it in perpetuity, protecting it from real estate development or natural resource extraction. The equivalent term in English is “Private stewardship”.

Could you clarify what private land means?

"Private land is land that is not owned by the government. For example, municipal lands are considered private."

How does acquiring and conserving private land benefit biodiversity conservation?

"You may have heard of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) resulting from COP15. The goal of the GBF is to halt biodiversity loss. To achieve this goal, voluntary conservation is a key and indispensable tool. While private lands make up only 8% of Quebec's territory, they harbor 50% of the province's threatened and vulnerable species. Voluntary conservation helps protect over 75,000 hectares that will become protected areas or areas with other conservation measures (AMCEZ)."

Is this practice encouraged or recognized by the law?

"Legally, Quebec only recognizes the concept of nature reserves. The idea of voluntary conservation is based on this legal framework, which is essentially rooted in Napoleon's Civil Code."

Does this movement have the potential to start in France?

"Yes, absolutely! Especially considering that in France, a significant portion of the land is privately owned, making it even more relevant. In Quebec, only 8% of the territory is private, yet it hosts the greatest biodiversity and faces the most significant threats."

How long has this type of initiative existed?

"The first voluntary conservation site in Quebec dates back to 1927, but the movement truly began in 1980 before experiencing significant growth in recent years."

It's safe to assume that voluntary conservation involves more than just land acquisition, right?

"Yes, before acquiring land, studies are conducted to assess the ecological significance of the area or the land's history (pollution, extraction, etc.), and a conservation plan is established. After acquiring the land, which is not always straightforward, the individual or organization must monitor it and ensure compliance with defined standards and practices, as well as pay associated taxes. It's important to note that the land is not left abandoned, especially given the doctrine of acquisitive prescription, which means that if a malicious neighbor exploits your land for 10 years without your knowledge, they could acquire it."

Is there a tool that compiles all perpetually conserved areas?

"At the provincial level in Quebec, The PNAN maintains a directory of voluntary conservation sites. (By the way, one of Natural Solutions' former team members, Aurélie Jambon, manages this directory). The conservation sites are then shared with Quebec's register of protected areas at the provincial level. At the federal level, the Canadian Protected and Conserved Area Database (CPCAD) aggregates all the information."

Is land acquisition done in an organized manner?

"Yes, an organization or individual typically doesn't purchase land randomly. Their missions often define an action territory (such as the Corridors Appalachiens organization) and a type of habitat to protect (forests, wetlands, etc.), although they may be more general. Furthermore, within the framework of the Quebec Initiative for Ecological Corridors, more and more organizations are uniting stakeholders to recreate ecological continuities. This is the case with organizations like Eco-corridors Laurentiens or Horizon Nature Bas-Saint-Laurent, for example."

The Directory of Voluntary Conservation Sites has recently documented 1,530 protected sites, covering approximately 75,000 hectares of preserved natural habitats in Quebec. These numbers are truly inspiring and offer a glimpse of what could be achieved in France regarding voluntary conservation. They encourage us to passionately consider similar initiatives in our own territory."