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In better condition, but still vulnerable
Although the St. Lawrence is in a better condition than it was during the second half of the 20th century, it is still under enormous pressures and remains vulnerable. This conclusion emerges from an initial overall picture of the state and evolution of the St. Lawrence, revealed during the St. Lawrence Rendezvous forum attended by some 150 participants in Quebec City on February 27, 2003.
This picture is the outcome of the new State of the St. Lawrence Monitoring Program, set up a few years earlier under the St. Lawrence Plan (then St. Lawrence Vision 2000) by four government partners: the federal and Quebec Environment departments, the Société de la faune et des parcs du Québec and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. As well as presenting the first results, the Quebec City forum was the official launch of the new program.
The State of the St. Lawrence Monitoring Program, based on long-term observation of 21 environmental indicators, makes it possible to gain a constantly updated picture of the state and development of the ecosystem. The indicators relate to the main basic components of the St. Lawrence: water, bed, banks, biological resources and uses.
The results reported at the Quebec City forum are described in detail in a series of 16 fact sheets, more than half of which were updated and presented during a second St. Lawrence Rendezvous [2006] in Nicolet. Two years later, in 2008, a new overall picture will be released for all of the indicators, in order to show once again that the great river is improving but remains vulnerable in several ways.
Since 2003, new partners have joined the program, including Parks Canada, the Canadian Space Agency, the non-governmental organization Stratégies Saint-Laurent and conservation groups active in the field.
News release
State of the Monitoring Program
Overview of the State of the St. Lawrence River
Date modified: 2008/08/05 – Important Notices
