Les milieux humides du parc national du Canada de la Mauricie: cartographie en vue d’une surveillance de l’intégrité écologique

Wetlands of forested landscapes represent rich ecosystems and constitute a fundamental element of the biological diversity. Parks Canada Agency selected wetlands as one of the three indicators of its ecological integrity monitoring program in La Mauricie National Park of Canada (LMNP), Québec. This report presents the results of a project aimed at mapping and classifying the wetlands of LMNP, in the context of establishing a protocol for ecological integrity monitoring. This was achieved through stereoscopic photo-interpretation of 1:15,000 aerial photographs dating from 1996. Photo-interpreted features were digitized in a geographic information system and positioned with an orthomosaic. A combination of information sources have been utilized, including digitized forestry and bathymetry maps. Wetlands were classified according to a unique wetland classification system, which was elaborated based on a critical synthesis of the classification systems published for wetlands of the forested landscapes of the northeastern North America. Results revealed that deepwaters and wetlands occupy 5,7% and 7.8% of the 536-km2 area of LMNP, respectively. According to the Canadian Wetland Classification System of the National Wetlands Working Group, wetlands are distributed as follows: 2.4% shallow water, 1.4% marsh, 2.9% swamp, 0.2% ombrotrophic peatland (bog), and 0.9% minerotrophic peatland (fen). The landscapes within LMNP are strongly influenced by beaver activity, with mapped density of beaver dams averaging 1.08/km2. Ecological integrity of wetlands in LMNP is still affected by dams built for log driving purposes before the park creation, with 44.6% of waterbody area still influenced by such dams in 2007. The wetland inventory produced in this project was the first thematic mapping of the wetlands in LMNP, and among the first ones in forested landscapes of Quebec. It will provide a sound basis for establishing a protocol for ecological integrity monitoring as well as developing ecological interpretation programs.

Lemelin, L.V. et M. Darveau. 2008. Les milieux humides du parc national du Canada de la Mauricie: cartographie en vue d’une surveillance de l’intégrité écologique. Rapport technique n° Q11, Canards Illimités Canada – Québec, Québec. 43 p.