Press Release

Rouyn-Noranda, March 27, 2018 – The official announcement of the NSERC-UQAT Industrial Research on northern biodiversity in a mining context will take place today at the Rouyn-Noranda campus of the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT). With a budget of nearly 2 million dollars over five years generated by support from the National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and industrial partners, the Chair will be directed by the professor Nicole Fenton, of the Forest Research Institute of UQAT.

Currently, potential ore deposits in Canada, and around the world, are in progressively more remote regions that were difficult to access in the past. For sustainable development in these remote regions to be achieved, several elements need to be considered: the rapidly changing climate, the primordial role of First Nations, and the dominance of small plants such as mosses and lichens. Building on Dr Nicole Fenton s expertise in bryophyte and lichen ecology and her experience in collaborative research with different industries, the mission of this NSERC Industrial Research Chair is to increase knowledge creation and transfer on northern biodiversity in order to develop strategies to reduce the potential impacts of development throughout the mine life cycle, in the context of compound disturbances, including climate change. This mission will be accomplished by integrating scientific and traditional knowledge and will permit industries, governments and communities to reduce their impact on biodiversity, plan for reduced impacts in the future, and integrate aboriginal perspectives and climate change to these plans.

An engaged partnership
Ten partners are working together in this new chair on northern biodiversity: Hecla Québec, Canadian Malartic Partnership, Stornoway Diamond Corporation, Nemaska Lithium, Inc., Ouranos, Agnico Eagle Mines, the Abitibiwinni Nation, the Cree Nation Government, the ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment and the Fight against Climate Change, and the ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks of Québec. “The environment and sustainable development are key issues for the mining industry. Participating in the NSERC-UQAT Industrial Research Chair on northern biodiversity in a mining context will permit industries to develop new methods of exploration and exploitation that promote their coexistence with the natural environment and consequently to limit the ecological footprint of their activities”  underlines Mr Alain Grenier, vice-president and director general of Hecla Québec. The Foundation of UQAT also contributed to the creation of this chair.

“This industrial chair will allow us to go further in the acquisition and transfer of knowledge on northern biodiversity. The participation of our partners is essential in order to develop and operationalize concrete strategies to reduce the potential impact of mining projects on northern biodiversity”, explains Nicole Fenton, chairholder. “The crucial integration of aboriginal perspectives and the impacts of global climate change will make these strategies representative of the territory and ultimately contribute to their success”.