Protecting land and ensuring species survival

The call for projects is open to all Quebecers and First Nations wishing to submit a project for a protected area in public, continental or marine territory, with the exception of territories in the Nord-du-Québec region (administrative region 10).

Our role in the call for projects is specific to First Nations and consists of :

• Promoting the call for projects
• Encourage mobilization, but above all
• Playing a key advisory and support role

We are available to support you in your efforts. Whether you need information on the call for projects or assistance with the submission process, please contact us by e-mail by clicking on the link below, or by telephone at 418-843-9999.

No. The eligibility criteria for proposals of protected area projects by First Nations proponents require only a resolution from the band council or the administrative council of the Indigenous organization.

No. For the Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs (MELCCFP), the aim of this phase is to obtain proposals for protected areas from the general public and from the First Nations. These proposals will then be analyzed and a portion of them selected for designation as protected areas.

However, as announced by the Ministère in December 2022, funding will be made available by the Québec government under the Plan Nature 2030 to support Indigenous initiatives related to biodiversity. The terms and conditions for this funding are currently being discussed, notably between the FNQLSDI and the MELCCFP. More information on this subject will be communicated to the First Nations as soon as possible.

All types of protected area status on public land can be considered. Six statuses are identified in the form and on the call for projects web page. An “other” and “multiple” option allows you to propose a different status or a combination of statuses, as needed.

Here is the list of options:

• Ecological reserve
• Biodiversity reserve
• Marine reserve
• Protected area with sustainable use
• Aboriginal-led protected area
• Man-made landscape
• Expansion of an existing protected area
• Other protection status
• Multiple statuses

For more information on each status, please contact us or visit the related MELCCFP web page.

Note: The proposed status is indicative and subject to change. It could be discussed and modified subsequently, if necessary, particularly considering the outcomes of regional consultations and the conservation objectives identified by the proponent.

No. Any status can be considered by a First Nation community or organization. The important thing is to select the status that is best suited to the conservation objectives and the type of activities covered by your protected area project.

The ALPA guide will provide a framework for this status and define several elements essential to its designation. However, even if the guide has not yet been drafted, you can indicate that you are targeting ALPA status when you submit your project. If, during or after the drafting of the ALPA guide, you wish to recommend another status, you will be able to do so. The reverse is also true: if you submit a project proposing biodiversity reserve status and, during or after the development of the guide, you wish to recommend an ALPA status instead, you will also be able to make this change.

Regardless of the preferred status, if the territory is selected by the government as a protected area, the first step in ensuring its protection will be to legally set aside the land as provided for under the Loi sur la conservation du patrimoine naturel. It should be noted that the official designation of a territory as an ALPA will only take place after the guide has been made public.

The answer may vary, depending on the context, and it’s up to First Nations proponents to choose. The FNQLSDI can help you identify the process that best suits your needs.

Regardless of the submission option you select, your project, if eligible, will be presented for final interdepartmental analysis in 2026, along with all the projects recommended by the regional roundtables. However, your proposal must be submitted before October 15, 2024 (for online submission) or be submitted directly to the Minister before spring 2026 with all the necessary documentation. Meeting these deadlines will enable the project to be submitted for final interministerial analysis, which could lead to a government decision to set aside the land by 2027.

The greatest distinction between the two submission processes lies in the consultation process. In the case of online submission, regional consultation will be led by a partner organization of the MELCCFP via roundtables to be set up in the various administrative regions concerned by the call for projects. For their information, the MELCCFP will send Indigenous communities the list of projects received in the administrative regions that concern them. In addition, the communities concerned will be invited to take part, if they so wish, in the regional consultation, either as participants or as proponents, for those who have submitted a project. As participants in the regional consultation process, they will be able to express their views, like other stakeholders, on all projects in the region.

In the context of direct submission to the Minister, First Nations proponents are responsible for leading their own consultation process with the various stakeholders concerned by the protected area project. This responsibility entails the submission of mandatory documents to the Minister, in particular a consultation plan to be submitted to the MELCCFP prior to the start of consultation, the requirements of which were specified in the appendix to a letter sent to all Chiefs by the MELCCFP on June 6, 2024. A project will not automatically be deemed ineligible if a document is missing, or if the consultation plan is incomplete. In such cases, the Ministère will contact the applicant directly to ensure that the missing documents are obtained, and that any necessary corrections are made (see Q11).

There is another notable difference between the two processes. There is no preliminary interdepartmental analysis phase in the process of direct submission to the Minister, since the project submission period is longer (deadline: spring 2026). However, projects submitted directly before October 15, 2024, could be subject to preliminary interdepartmental analysis, if the Indigenous proponent so requests from the MELCCFP, in view of being informed of existing constraints on the territory (see Q13). It should be noted that no project will be rejected by the government during this step. After October 15, 2024, the MELCCFP may, at the proponent’s request, carry out a preliminary analysis based on the ecological and socio-cultural characterization elements, and forward the results to the Indigenous proponents.

When you submit your application online, the platform will ask you to draw a polygon to identify the location of your project. However, a shapefile and any other relevant documents can be attached to your application.

It could last up to a year, depending on the number of projects received.

To submit an admissible proposal online, an Indigenous proponent must at least be able to:

• Provide their contact information or that of the organization they represent
• Delineate the project’s area of interest on the interactive map
• Identify conservation objectives
• Identify the targeted protected area status
• Briefly describe the territory and why it is important to protect it
• Have a resolution from the band council or administrative council of the Indigenous organization.

To submit an admissible project directly with the Minister, an Indigenous proponent must present at least:

• A delineation of the proposed project
• A plan for regional consultation
• A resolution from the band council or administrative council of the Indigenous organization
• Conservation objectives, targeted protected area status and proposed activity regime
• Following submission, and before spring 2026, a report on the outcomes of the regional consultation conducted by the proponent

The Ministère may contact you for any missing documents or necessary adjustments to the documents submitted.

The call for projects is divided into three main stages.

1. Project submission

• • • 1.1. Online submission
      When a project is submitted online, an acknowledgement of receipt confirming eligibility is sent to the applicant within 10 working days. The resolution of the band council or administrative council of the Indigenous organization must be submitted before November 29, 2024. A preliminary interdepartmental analysis will then be carried out to characterize the projects on ecological, sociocultural and feasibility grounds. Marine protected area projects could be analyzed in collaboration with the federal government.
    • 1.2. Direct submission to MELCCFP
      Direct submission to the Minister involves sending a protected area proposal to the Minister by e-mail or regular mail. Only Indigenous proponents can benefit from this filing option, which is open on an ongoing basis. However, for your project to be analyzed with a view to setting aside the land by 2027, it must be submitted directly to the Minister before spring 2026, along with all the necessary documentation (see Q7).

2 – Regional consultation

• • • 2.1. Online submission
      In 2025, roundtables will be set up in all administrative regions of Québec (except the Nord-du-Québec region). Their purpose will be to identify priority areas for the creation of new protected areas, based on discussions between stakeholders. A recommendation from each roundtable will be submitted to the Ministère in spring 2026. The consultation process will be adapted on a case-by-case basis for projects affecting, in whole or in part, the coastal environments of the St. Lawrence and the marine environment, in accordance with the Canada–Québec Collaborative Agreement to Establish a Network of Marine Protected Areas in Québec. In addition, some projects may be subject to modification following regional consultation (e.g. in terms of boundaries or status).
    • 2.2. Direct submission to the Minister
      In the case of direct submission to the Minister, Indigenous proponents are not required to follow the same consultation process. Instead, they will lead consultations with the stakeholders concerned by their project. A consultation plan must be submitted to the MELCCFP in advance, so that the consultation approach can be adjusted as needed. A report on the consultation must then be produced and submitted to the MELCCFP before spring 2026.

3. Interdepartmental analysis and final government decision

• • • The final interdepartmental analysis of the projects will be carried out in the second half of 2026, in view of informing the final government decision. Given the shared responsibilities of the Québec and federal governments for the development of Québec’s network of marine protected areas, certain arrangements may be required for this type of project.
    • Note: Notwithstanding the recommendations of the regional roundtables, which will be used to guide the final government decision, all projects submitted by Indigenous proponents will be submitted for interdepartmental analysis with a view to a final government decision. However, not all projects submitted will be selected as protected areas for inclusion in the Québec Register of Protected Areas.

Project analysis is based on consideration of environmental, economic, social and cultural aspects. The protected area designation is ultimately a government decision. On the MELCCFP side, projects will be characterized according to their ecological characteristics and the cultural values associated with the targeted territories. The MELCCFP is also keen to ensure the representativeness and integrity of ecosystems within the protected areas network. In addition, interdepartmental analysis and regional consultations will raise issues of interests and uses of the land that may converge and diverge among the various stakeholders. This exercise will also make it possible to assess the social acceptability of projects, taking into account the economic and social issues specific to each region.

No. As explained above in question 11, the call for projects is divided into three main stages: (1) project submission, (2) regional consultation and (3) interministerial analysis and final government decision. Only territories selected by final government consensus at the end of the third stage will be designated as protected areas.

Protected area projects can be submitted for all of Québec’s public territories (outside of administrative region 10), notwithstanding existing constraints such as mining claims. Interdepartmental analysis will follow to identify potential compatibility issues and provide the roundtables with the information needed for their discussions.

A reflection on how Québec will meet its commitment (30% of territory conserved by 2030) will take place as part of the development of an implementation plan for target 3 of the Plan Nature 2030.

A second call for protected area projects will follow. The terms and conditions of this second call for projects will be defined at a later date.

No. The online platform is only available in French. However, the MELCCFP has produced Word document in English that translate the online platform. Please contact us if you’d like to have this document or if you need any help for translation or at the moment of submitting online.

Yes. Even though the online platform is only in French, you can submit your projects in English.