#Ottawa, #Quebec; #Anticosti Island, #UNESCOHeritageSite
CMEDIA: The intention of protecting the waters near a picturesque territory in the Gulf of St. Lawrence that was recently named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was reportedly announced Nov 24 by Ottawa and Quebec.
The first steps toward creating a protected marine park off Anticosti Island was being taken Friday by Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault and his provincial counterpart, Benoit Charette.
The proposed site stretching north from the island to the Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve, Guilbeault and Charette were reported saying, is home to marine mammals — including the endangered North Atlantic right whale — as well as colonies of seabirds and important fish populations.
The process of creating the marine park could take several years, says Charette and will include consultations with local and regional authorities, research groups and Indigenous communities.
Anticosti Island, reportedly believed to contain the best-preserved fossil record of marine life covering 10 million years of Earth history, was added in September to the United Nations’ list of places with outstanding universal value to humanity.
The park will help their governments, say Charette and Guilbeault, to meet the target set last year at a Montreal global biodiversity summit of protecting 30 percent of land and water by 2030.
