Science Serving Conservation in the Saguenay‐St. Lawrence Marine Park: How does better knowledge lead to better protection ?
The establishment of the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park in 1998 is the result of twenty years of studies, public support and negotiations. Its establishment is a significant event in the field of marine conservation in Quebec and in Canada. Located at the confluence of the St. Lawrence Estuary and the Saguenay Fjord, the area covered by the Marine Park is recognized for many reasons. The estuarine ecosystems found here are very rich from a biological point but are also under many forms of pressure. Attaining the objectives sought out by the establishment of the Marine Park requires to use a wide variety of tools such as governance, science and education. Scientific research is included in the legal mandate of the Marine Park, indicating its importance as a conservation tool. But using science as a conservation tool requires communicating results to the public. Furthermore, since science does not always provide certainty relative to the complexity of marine ecosystems, it is sometimes necessary to have recourse to adaptive management and to the precautionary principle. Bringing together various players such as scientists, managers, local communities and visitors is essential to enable scientific knowledge to orient conservation actions. The Marine Park has come a long way since its establishment ten years ago, but it remains a challenge to ensure that scientific knowledge is used to take action to conserve the exceptional environment of the Marine Park.