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News release
The State of the St. Lawrence River: Issues and Courses of Action
Montreal, May 20, 1999 – The government partners of the St. Lawrence Vision 2000 Action Plan are launching the "Issue" fact sheets in the series The State of the St. Lawrence River. Filled with recommendations, these publications propose courses of action in response to the main pressures exerted upon the St. Lawrence River. Primarily a guide to taking action, the objective of the "Issue" fact sheets is to increase knowledge and provide decision support.
Fluctuating water levels; Disturbance of wildlife; and The contribution of urban activities to the deterioration of the St. Lawrence River are the three environmental issues examined in separate fact sheets. A fourth fact sheet, on the contribution of agricultural activities to the deterioration of the St. Lawrence River, will be published shortly.
Adopting a preventive approach to the management of water levels; educating and sensitizing the public about the problem of urban effluents; regulating marine-mammal-watching excursions: these are a few examples of the types of initiatives suggested in the "Issue" fact sheets.
Based on a pressure-state-response approach, each fact sheet identifies the main sources of pressure associated with an environmental issue and the effects on the state of the St. Lawrence River. The existing measures for responding to an identified disturbance are examined, as are the courses of action necessary to ensure the protection of the St. Lawrence River and the maintenance of its uses and resources, within a context of sustainable development.
This series of fact sheets is produced by the St. Lawrence Centre of Environment Canada and the Ministère de l'Environnement du Québec, Wildlife and Parks Sector. The data used in analysing the issues were obtained from various federal and provincial partners of the St. Lawrence Vision 2000 Action Plan, including Environment Canada, the Department of Canadian Heritage, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and the Ministère de l'Environnement du Québec, Wildlife and Parks Sector.
St. Lawrence Vision 2000 is an action plan governed by a co-operation agreement between the governments of Canada and Quebec. It is aimed at conserving, protecting and enhancing the St. Lawrence River in order to return use of the River to the public. One of the objectives of this agreement is to improve knowledge of the St. Lawrence River and to disseminate this information to decision makers, riverside communities, and the general public. It is in this spirit that the "Issue" fact sheets, part of the State of the St. Lawrence River series, were produced. Copies are available from the Co-ordination Office of St. Lawrence Vision 2000 at (418) 648-3444.
Information:
Nathalie Turgeon
Communications Officer
St. Lawrence Centre
Environment Canada
Tel: (514) 283-9994
Raymoned Goupil
Ministère de l'Environnement du Québec
Communications
St. Lawrence Vision 2000
Tel: (514) 521-3823 ext. 4912
Aussi disponible en français
Date modified: 1999/05/20 – Important Notices
