Anyone who has tried to protect a local natural environment knows that those who work to preserve biodiversity find themselves lost in a labyrinth of all kinds of information without a map or compass. But that will soon be the case thanks to this innovative project from Nature Québec belong to the past. In fact, thanks to Local Nature in Danger, an interactive directory of the most useful resources available online for carrying out such initiatives will soon be available to the general public.
Although hardly a week goes by without biodiversity conservation being the subject of a forum, it is an understatement to say that the local Nature in Danger project comes at the right time. As Marie-Audrey Nadeau Fortin, project manager at Nature Québec, rightly points out, it is often citizen forces that lead the fight to protect biodiversity and nature in urban and peri-urban environments.
As evidence of this, since 2021, more than a hundred citizens have turned to Nature Québec for support for initiatives to protect the natural environment. “We hope that the tools developed as part of the nearby Nature in Danger project will help strengthen the capacity of citizen groups and enable them to take their efforts even further. »
To optimize the use of its online resources, Nature Québec works in particular with the Réseau Demain Le Québec of the David Suzuki Foundation. In addition to the Echo Foundation, the latter is also a financial partner in the project. The official launch of the interactive directory more or less marks the end of the first phase of the project, which lasted three years and mobilized around twenty people: specialists, activists and citizens.
Technology to defend biodiversity
Fear of destruction of a nearby natural habitat is one thing. Knowing how to defend it is another matter. Because as Marie-Audrey Nadeau Fortin notes: “Civic initiatives are complex because they require expertise in biology, law, sociology, politics, etc.” » In other words, good will is not enough and even the most determined citizens are likely to give up.
That's why the interactive directory was designed by and for them. “As part of the project, I had to ensure that the measures implemented really met the needs of local citizens. I think we succeeded. Citizen groups concerned with conserving local natural environments will benefit from consulting this directory and improve their chances of success,” argues Daniel Desroches, a contributing citizen.
When each citizen initiative is both unique and complex, the sequence of actions to be taken is essentially always the same. The interactive directory was designed against this background. Accessible through the Nature Québec website, it offers four components that represent the key steps: Mobilize, Organize, Communicate and Resolve. Each component contains the relevant information to successfully complete the steps that compose it. Additionally, the decision tree provides an overview to help you navigate the process.
Tame the beast!
The Nature Québec team will present its interactive directory “Nature of Proximity” in a free webinar on January 31 at 7 p.m. The lecture will be followed by a question and answer session.
To learn more, visit: natureendanger.org
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