Réserve de territoire aux fins d’aire protégée
des Collines-de-Muskuchii

The Gouvernement du Québec approved the designation of the Réserve de territoire aux fins d’aire protégée des Collines-de-Muskuchii following the submission in the fall of 2020 of a joint brief from the Minister of the Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, and the Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks. The legally protected status contemplated for this territory is that of a “biodiversity reserve,” which is governed by the Natural Heritage Conservation Act.

Geographical location, boundaries and dimensions

• Location: Eeyou Istchee James Bay, Nord-du-Québec
• Natural province: Abitibi Lowlands (F)
• Natural regions: Turgeon Plain (F04)
• Territorial zone represented: Cochrane Till Plain (Z_F01)
• Area: 142 km²
• Map (PDF, 256 Kb)

Brief description

The Réserve de territoire aux fins d’aire protégée des Collines-de-Muskuchii is made up of additions to the Réserve de biodiversité projetée des collines de Muskuchii, which enhance the existing protected area from the standpoint of the protection of significant habitats of the Détour woodland caribou population. The Muskuchii Hills region is also of considerable importance to the Cree community of Waskaganish for historic and subsistence reasons. This territorial reserve for protected area purposes overlaps the proposed and subsequently authorized expansion of the Réserve de biodiversité projetée des collines de Muskuchii under the procedure to assess and review environmental and social impact carried out in 2010.

Protection measures applied in the territory

No natural resource exploration or exploitation activity (mining, energy and forests) is allowed in the territory of the territorial reserve for protected area purposes. The Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and the Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks will ensure the maintenance of the administrative and legal provisions that their prohibition requires.