A major wetland and waterway restoration project to mitigate flood risks in the Lorette River sub-watershed

Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is proud to introduce its Nature Force initiative in the Quebec province, launching the first phase of a significant project in the Capitale-Nationale region. This work supports the City of Québec’s efforts to enhance the resilience of the Lorette River sub-watershed, a region that has been prone to significant flooding events.

The project is supported by funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund (NSCSF); the partners of The Nature Force, a group of property and casualty insurance companies; The City of Québec and DUC’s North American partners: Fall Flights, the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

This initiative will focus on restoring wetlands and aquatic environments along the Lorette River and its tributaries. Like other Nature Force initiatives across Canada, it will harness natural infrastructure to mitigate flood risks, build climate resilience, sequester carbon, and protect water quality, biodiversity and land.

“When we protect nature, we give it the power to protect us. Nature-based climate solutions, such as the Lorette River Project, play an important role in achieving Canada’s objectives of biodiversity and the fight against climate change. Contributing to carbon capture and storage, these habitats also provide feeding and breeding grounds and are home to numerous wildlife species. Wetlands also contribute to filtering contaminants, helping to improve the quality of our most precious resource, water.”
– The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Restoration efforts will be guided by hydrogeomorphology (the study of the interaction between water and landscapes), detailed knowledge of the area and hydrological modelling.
DUC’s field team is already working to identify key sites for conservation and restoration, collaborating closely with landowners in the study area. Effective co-ordination will be essential to meet project goals and align to the realities of local land users. For this reason, collaboration will remain central to DUC’s strategy throughout the implementation phase.

Protecting downstream by taking upstream actions
Taking action upstream is at the heart of this large-scale initiative, which will bring benefits both locally and throughout the sub-watershed. Protecting and restoring upstream wetlands and aquatic environments will enhance water retention at the source, helping to mitigate floods. This ecological service will become increasingly vital in the coming years, particularly as extreme weather events, like intense and unpredictable rainfall, become more frequent.
“We’re proud to be leading this crucial climate change adaptation initiative for the community. With extreme weather events expected to increase in the years to come, the risk of flooding along the Lorette River is growing. By collaborating with the City of Québec and our partners, we’re working toward an effective game plan that will address the various agricultural, residential and commercial needs in the region. By hosting such initiatives, upstream landowners can play a decisive role in the project’s success. Their involvement will create positive ripple effects on many levels.”
– Mélanie Deslongchamps, Director of Provincial Operations for Quebec, Ducks Unlimited Canada

The work carried along the Lorette River and several of its tributaries will build on the protective measures already established elsewhere in the watershed by the Québec City agglomeration.
“Given the increasing impacts of climate change and the challenges facing the upper Lorette River, it is crucial that we work in harmony with nature. The Nature Force initiative aligns with our commitment to enhancing the watershed’s resilience, improving water quality, and restoring ecosystems for the benefit of all.”
– Marie-Josée Asselin, Vice-President of the City of Québec’s Executive Committee, responsible for sustainable development, natural environments and biodiversity

Teamwork on a large scale
An initiative of this scale would not be possible without the invaluable support of dedicated partners.
Ducks Unlimited Canada extends its sincerest thanks to the many organizations that contributed almost a million dollars to date:

• Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), through the Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund (NSCSF);
• The partners of The Nature Force, a group of property and casualty insurance companies;
• The City of Québec; and
•  DUC partners in the United States: Fall Flights, the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Additionally, DUC has enlisted a wide range of expertise essential to advancing the project through its various stages. We are grateful to the laboratoire d’expertise et de recherche en géographie appliquée (LERGA) de l’Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC), the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) and the Communauté métropolitaine de Québec (CMQuébec) for their involvement.

The Nature Force
The Nature Force is an action-oriented climate resilience initiative funded by a collective of P&C insurance companies (Aviva Canada, CNA Canada, Definity, Ecclesiastical Insurance, Gallagher, Gore Mutual, HUB International, Intact, Navacord, Northbridge, SGI, SPGC, Travelers Canada, Trisura, Wawanesa, Westland, and Zurich Canada) in partnership with national non-profit conservation solutions provider Ducks Unlimited Canada.
https://www.thenatureforce.com/

Ducks Unlimited Canada
Ducks Unlimited Canada is the leader in wetland conservation. A registered charity, DUC uses sound science and partners with government, industry, non-profit organizations, Indigenous Peoples and landowners to conserve wetlands that are critical to waterfowl, wildlife and the environment. To learn more about DUC’s innovative environmental solutions and services, visit www.ducks.ca.

Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund (NSCSF)
Canada’s Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund (NSCSF) is a $1.4 billion, ten-year fund (2021–2031) administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada to help conserve, restore, and enhance the management of ecosystems such as wetlands, peatlands, forests, and grasslands, in order to help tackle the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. The NSCSF focuses on three main objectives: (1) conserving carbon-rich ecosystems at high risk of conversion to other uses that would release their stored carbon; (2) improving land management practices to reduce their greenhouse gas emission-causing impacts on Canada’s ecosystems; and (3) restoring degraded ecosystems. Overall, these projects will contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and increased carbon sequestration, while also providing benefits for biodiversity and human well-being.