Regional importance of tailings for waterfowl compared to beaver ponds in Abitibi-Temiscamingue

Master Project of Émilie Desjardins

Director: Louis Imbeau (UQAT-FIR)
Codirector: Nicole Fenton (UQAT-FIR)
Collaborators: Marcel Darveau (Ducks Unlimited Canada) and Marc Mazerolle (Laval University)

In Quebec, and particularly in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region, the landscape is interspersed with active and inactive mining sites. Mining industries, like other resource-based industries, are often singled out as being partially responsible for the degradation of the environment and landscape quality. A frequent consequence of these industries is the formation of tailing ponds, which must be monitored and managed in the more or less long term.

However, in recent years, it has been noted that these newly created habitats can generate heterogeneity in the landscape and provide habitat for many wildlife and plant species. In particular, with respect to wildlife, several bird species have been observed on various mining tailings sites located in or near the region. For example, the East Sullivan tailings pond and the Casa Berardi mine site are reported to be frequented by at least 190 and 72 bird species, respectively. It should also be noted that the detection of certain bird species considered as occasional breeders in Quebec, such as the red-necked grebe and the trumpeter swan, has been recorded in similar sites in Abitibi.

This project will focus on the value of ponds created by the mining industry for waterfowl (ducks, geese, and swans). To do this, an inventory of waterfowl species present on the different ponds will be undertaken and a comparison will be carried out with a natural environment (beaver ponds). Other factors related to habitat conditions will also be measured and linked to the waterfowl use of the sites.