Conservation of natural areas

In line with MCI's mission to protect, conserve and improve Lake Memphremagog and its watershed, they have established a voluntary conservation program in collaboration with private property owners and municipalities. A number of conservation projects have been completed in the watershed to date by MCI, thanks to various collaborations. See the sections on collaboration with property owners and municipalities.

Let's protect the natural landscapes and scenery that we love!

MCI has established a conservation program aimed at preserving the natural landscapes and indigenous species found in the lake's watershed. This territory of about 1,800 km² (of which 512 km² are in Québec) posesses an undeniable ecological richness and is an important habitat for  flora and fauna. These landscapes and natural attractions are also the basis for the economic development of the region.

Ecosystems provide services of inestimable value, which are rarely taken into account. Forest ecosystems play an important role in the control of soil erosion, the maintenance of water quality, the preservation of the region's natural beauty and the maintenance of the forest resource itself. Wetlands are essential to the water cycles and play a major role in the purification of water, the regulation of water flows, the retention of water during intense rain storms and the maintenance of biodiversity. Nonetheless, these areas continue to disappear, causing ecological as well as economic damage. 

Tourism, home building and residential deveolpments, forestry and agricultural activities that do not respect the environment, even given their economic importance, continue to exert pressures on the territory and its biodiversity.

The presene of cyanobacteria in Lake Memphremagog is associated with significant inputs of phosphorous coming from urban, agricultural and residential areas. The loss of forest cover and the degradation of shorelines also have an impact on the inputs of phosphorous laden sediments into the lake. Because Lake Memphremagog is the major drinking water source for most residents of the Memphremagog MRC and the city of sherbrooke, it goes without saying that the protection of this drinking water is a major consideraton in the conservation of the natural landscapes in the watershed.

MCI believes that it is possible to reconcile conservation with usage of the territory without impeding the socio-economic development of the region, which is based, for the most part, on the exceptional natural riches of the region.