Protected area with sustainable use

A protected area with sustainable use (PASU) is a protected area characterized by the presence of natural conditions on the greater part of the land and by sustainable use of its natural resources. The land must be developed for the benefit of the local and Aboriginal communities concerned. Its management must be exemplary, and the communities’ participation must be encouraged.

This status aims to protect ecosystems, habitats, and the cultural values associated with them. The concept was introduced during the 2021 revision of the Natural Heritage Conservation Act.

This new status is currently being drafted. It will draw on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Guidelines for Applying Protected Area Management Categories.

Guidelines will be drafted to assist with the implementation of this new status. Conservation plans for PASUs must include the following:

• An ecological overview of the area concerned
• A description of its occupation and uses
• Conservation and development objectives for the area concerned
• A map of the protected area

Literature review and case studies

To gain insight on the applicability of the IUCN protected area management categories, the Ministère has carried out knowledge acquisition work on protected areas in management categories V and VI.

The “Étude de cas d’aires protégées de catégorie VI (APUDR) : analyse et recommandations à des fins de mise en œuvre au Québec” (French, PDF, 23 MB) presents a statistical portrait of category VI protected areas worldwide, an analysis of 27 existing category VI protected areas, the concept of sustainable use of natural resources, and recommendations for the implementation of category VI protected areas in Québec.

The “Étude de cas d’aires protégées de catégorie V (paysage protégé) : analyse et recommandations à des fins de mise en œuvre au Québec” report for category V protected areas (in French only) is available on the webpage on man-made landscapes (French).

Pilot projects

In June 2021, the Government of Québec announced its intention to launch two pilot projects: one at Lac à Moïse and one on Île d’Anticosti. These projects are intended to help draft guidelines for the status and to experiment with this new type of protected area in the province.

Contact

If you have questions on protected area with sustainable use, please contact us at apud@environnement.gouv.qc.ca.