The CRE of Laval has several valuable areas of expertise, including its team dedicated to conservation and education. We spoke with Diane, a biologist and Head of Conservation and Education at the CRE, to discuss the state of Laval's natural environments and the challenges ahead. 

 

CRE of Laval: Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your background? 

Diane: « I work at the CRE of Laval as the Head of Conservation and Education. I first completed a bachelor's degree in ecology at the University of Sherbrooke, which allowed me to do three internships in three different settings: at Parc national de l'Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé, where I did conservation-education, at the Institut Maurice-Lamontagne, a federal aquatic research institute, and an internship in ecotoxicology at the provincial ministry, where we studied the impact of rare earth elements on water quality. » 

« Then, I pursued a master's degree in ecology at the University of Sherbrooke. After my master's, I worked in conservation-education at Parc national de la Yamaska, then in a private environmental consulting firm, before joining the CRE. » 

 

CRE of Laval: What topics do you work on at the CRE?  

Diane: « Our conservation and education team works on several topics. We participate in various public consultations in the region to raise awareness of the issues facing Laval's natural environments and advocate for their interests. We conduct inventories of fauna and flora, and, when necessary, we relocate animal species that live in developed areas. We combat certain invasive plant species, such as the common reed, which threaten the balance of our environments. »

« Given that our natural environments are valuable sources of information for scientists, particularly wetlands, we also participate in university research programs. For example, this year, we participated in research from UQAM aimed at evaluating the amount of carbon naturally stored in wetlands. Through our Greening initiative, we support the City of Laval's tree donation project to increase the city's canopy. Finally, our environmental education project manager develops several environmental education projects, for example in Laval's elementary school classes, where she raises awareness about climate change and its effects. » 

 

CRE of Laval: What do Laval's natural environments look like today?

Diane: « I like to say that Laval has a lot of potential for environmental improvement. I think everyone will understand what I mean by that! Historically, like other suburbs in Quebec, it has favoured urban sprawl and the construction of single-family homes surrounded by lawns, to the detriment of more densely populated neighbourhoods surrounded by forest areas. Laval has lost a large part of its natural environments due to the way cities were thought of at the time. » 

« However, the natural environment is important not only for biodiversity and combating climate change, but also for improving human quality of life. Having trees in your neighbourhood, for example, reduces ground heat. A good canopy can reduce the temperature by 2 to 10 degrees Celsius compared to a paved street without trees. Vegetation is a natural, low-cost, and effective solution for mitigating the effects of heatwaves, which will become more and more frequent in Quebec. » 

« A tree is an easy solution to implement that really has a beautiful impact on quality of life! » 

 

CRE of Laval: And in terms of biodiversity?

« Before becoming the city we know today, Laval had a unique biodiversity, with species found in very few other places. Laval still constitutes an important habitat for certain rare species. » 

« Among the emblematic species, there is the brown snake, a small insectivorous snake, harmless and very cute! It is a threatened species, meaning that we fear for its long-term survival. This species particularly likes the fallow lands of Laval. » 

« For vegetation, we find two remarkable species of hawthorn: the Canadian hawthorn and the suborbicular hawthorn, which are found almost exclusively in Laval and the metropolitan community of Montreal. They are likely to be designated as threatened or vulnerable, as their viable populations are rare and most are found in Laval. There is an exceptional concentration of these hawthorns here, with populations of several dozen individuals. » 

« Laval therefore has interesting biodiversity that also deserves to be protected because it is very, very rare elsewhere in Quebec and even elsewhere in the world, for certain species. » 

 

CRE of Laval: Are there any natural environments that would speak to the people of Laval? That they know?   

« Yes, of course, we have the woodlands. Today, there are also a few woodlands left in Laval: the bois de l'Équerre, probably the largest protected natural area still existing on the territory of the city of Laval. There is also the bois Papineau, the bois du Souvenir, l'Orée-des-Bois, the bois de Naples, the bois Saint-Dorothée, and the bois Armand-Frappier. There are also fallow lands belonging to developers, not yet built, and the Hydro-Québec rights-of-way, which, although modest in appearance, harbour important fauna and flora for open environments. » 

 

CRE of Laval: What are the current and future challenges in terms of conservation in Laval?  

Diane: « To summarize, I would say that we are facing these 3 major challenges in Laval, in terms of natural environments: water management, densification, and soil impermeabilization. » 

« A first challenge is the management of residential growth. Laval wants to build more housing, which is legitimate in the midst of a housing crisis. However, we must absolutely avoid sacrificing new natural environments for this development. It may seem financially simpler to clear a natural environment to build. But this has an impact. Building on natural environments increases soil impermeabilization, which reduces water infiltration and increases the risk of flooding. Now, we have increasingly heavy rains in Laval and this phenomenon will intensify. Therefore, the city of Laval must create new housing without destroying new natural environments. » 

« Added to this is the continued loss of wetlands. These environments act as natural sponges, capturing water during heavy rains and releasing it slowly, thus reducing flooding and helping to combat droughts. They also play a major role in carbon sequestration. Destroying a wetland releases significant amounts of carbon, which was naturally trapped in the environment. » 

« The destruction of wetlands worsens climate change, while protecting them helps to combat it. » 

« Unfortunately, even though we have sensible laws to protect wetlands in Quebec, they are still being destroyed in large quantities for real estate or road developments. For example, just in 2023, 6.2 hectares of wetlands were authorized to be destroyed on the territory of Laval. » 

 

CRE of Laval: We also talk about ecological corridors in Laval. Can you explain what an ecological corridor is and its importance for Laval?

Diane: « Corridors allow animals to move from one natural environment to another. Without this, they risk being trapped in a single environment. At the CRE, we define an ecological corridor as a strip of natural environment that connects two habitats. It is different from the surrounding environment, for example, residential neighbourhoods. This corridor can be a fallow land, a forest, a woodland, or a wetland. » 

« An ecological corridor is always specific to certain species. A forest corridor will be used by forest species, while a fallow land corridor will be used by open environment species. For example, a field bird like the Eastern Meadowlark will like tall grasses and therefore move through fallow lands, while a woodpecker will move from tree to tree in a forest environment. If we have a corridor consisting of a fallow land, the woodpecker will not use it. » 

« In Laval, there is a lack of wooded corridors, but even for open environment species, some corridors are insufficient in width. In general, a corridor must be between 30 and 60 meters wide to be effective. » 

« Creating new corridors is difficult in an already urbanized city. We are currently studying the possibility of improving Hydro-Québec's fallow lands. We are also working on the creation of discontinuous forest areas to allow birds to fly from one nature island to another. » 

 

CRE of Laval: What are the consequences of the absence of ecological corridors?

Diane: « In the absence of corridors, animals have a higher risk of dying during their movements, particularly when crossing roads. If they cannot move, they cannot flee an inhospitable habitat or recolonize a habitat that has become favourable again. » 

« Additionally, the isolation of populations reduces genetic diversity. Less diversity means more vulnerability to diseases and environmental changes. Corridors increase the resilience of populations. » 

 

CRE of Laval: As a citizen, what can we do to contribute to the conservation of nature in Laval?

Diane: « Planting trees on your property helps reduce heat in the city. »

« The more trees there are, the lower the temperature, which also improves the energy efficiency of homes. » 

« Creating a rain garden allows capturing runoff water. It is an aesthetic and ecological arrangement that helps prevent flooding and can promote local biodiversity, particularly pollinators. Finally, we can even create a mini ecological corridor in your neighbourhood, if you mobilize your neighbours around tree planting and the integration of rain gardens; as many small environments that can contribute to creating an ecological corridor where species precious to our biodiversity can circulate! » 

« We can also get involved in protection committees for the woodlands in your neighbourhood. Many woodlands still belong to developers and are not protected. » 

« Writing to your elected officials is another way to influence local policies. It can really make a difference. For example, you can very well mobilize, as a citizen group, to plant trees on your street, on strips of land belonging to the city. » 

 

CRE of Laval: How do you see the future of Laval?

Diane: « There are promising projects, such as the Carré Laval, which could combine urban development and nature. The ideal would be to practice gentle densification, with semi-detached houses or quadruplexes, to avoid expanding the city further and thus protect existing natural environments. » 

« Smart densification would also allow maintaining or restoring natural spaces accessible to citizens. This is the direction I hope Laval will take. » 

 

CRE of Laval: A final message for the citizens of Laval?

Diane: « The loss of natural environments has very concrete consequences on our quality of life. »

« Heatwaves will be more intense and more frequent. Flooding will worsen. These are realities that affect us all. » 

« There are simple and accessible solutions to face them: planting trees, creating rain gardens, preserving woodlands, getting involved in your neighbourhood. Every gesture counts. We are all concerned and we can all contribute to a more resilient future. »