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The National Wildlife Areas (NWA)
“Getting close to wilderness along the St. Lawrence River”
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Lac Saint-François NWA
(Hunting of migratory birds only, except Fraser I and II management sites and the welcome site zone)
Îles de la Paix NWA
(All hunting prohibited)
Îles de Contrecoeur NWA
(Hunting of migratory birds only)
Cap Tourmente NWA
(Controlled hunting - migratory birds only)
Baie de L'Isle-Verte NWA
(Hunting of migratory birds only, except
the Rivière des Vases management site)
Îles de l'estuaire NWA
(All hunting prohibited)
Pointe-au-Père NWA
(All hunting prohibited)
Pointe de l'Est NWA
(Hunting of migratory birds only)
Legal descriptions
(see Part III)
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Aware of the importance of protecting essential wildlife habitat, in 1969 the
Canadian Wildlife Service undertook a program to acquire strategic habitat along the St. Lawrence.
National Wildlife Areas in Québec are protected sites recognized as nationally and internationally
important for conserving life forms in wetlands. A variety of activities to preserve biodiversity are carried out in these areas, which are key elements of the environmental challenge of the St. Lawrence corridor.
These areas are models of protected zones that are essential for conserving wetlands in the St.
Lawrence.
In 2000, there are eight National Wildlife Areas in Québec along the St. Lawrence River between Lac
Saint-François in the west and the Îles-de-la-Madeleine in the east.
Three of these sites are on the Ramsar Convention list, giving them international status as essential wetlands for wildlife. The Cap Tourmente
National Wildlife Area was the first in the country to receive status as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention in 1981.
The Lac Saint-François and Baie de L'Isle-Verte NWAs joined this select club at a later date.
 Conservation is not the only purpose of the NWAs. Public education and research are also goals under the Canada Wildlife Act. In most NWAs, visitors are
allowed to hike, canoe, take photos, and watch birds. Traditional uses may be allowed to continue: muskrat trapping and hunting and fishing are part of some management plans. All these activities are regulated to
prevent declines in wildlife populations and deterioration of habitats.
National Wildlife Areas are identified by blue and white signs with a picture of
a loon. They are a reminder that the designated site and the wildlife it contains are protected by certain regulations.
National Wildlife Areas (NWA) in Québec (July 11, 2001)
With NWA Status: 5762 ha
Without NWS Status (to come): 718 ha
Total area: 6 480 ha
Québec’s parks and wildlife reserves *
* Links to sites external to Environment Canada (EC) are provided as a convenience and their
inclusion in no way implies that Environment Canada endorses or accepts any responsibility for the content or use of these sites. As the organizations that maintain these sites may not be
subject to the Official Languages Act, information found on these sites may be presented only in the language in which it was written.
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