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The Man-made landscape: protecting the biodiversity of Mount Royal and the Monteregian Hills

(Montréal, March 24, 2025). Since 1986, Les Amis de la montagne has been working to protect and enhance Mount Royal by adopting a collaborative approach with municipal and provincial authorities, owners of large private and institutional properties, and the community to find solutions for preserving Mount Royal as a shared heritage.

The Monteregian Hills, of which Mount Royal is a part, are iconic landscape of southern Quebec and essential reservoirs of biodiversity. They play a central role in the daily lives of millions of Quebecers. However, they are currently only partially protected by various, uncoordinated measures. 

Given this context, on January 22, 2025, Les Amis de la montagne submitted a brief on the man-made landscape for the Monteregian Hills project to a public consultation held by the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM). This project, piloted by the CMM, concerns the hills within its territory: Mount Royal, the Oka Hills, Mount Saint-Bruno, Mount Saint-Hilaire and part of Mount Rougemont. Through this brief, Les Amis de la montagne supports the CMM's commitment to this project, which ultimately aims to obtain the status of man-made landscapes for all of the Monteregian Hills, a designation granted by the Quebec government. Les Amis de la montagne has been involved with the Monteregian Hills since 2008, in collaboration with the Table de concertation du mont Royal and the CMM.

A man-made landscape designation seeks to protect the biodiversity within inhabited territories where landscapes and natural components have been shaped over time by human activities in harmony with nature. These areas are unique, and their preservation largely depends on the continuation of traditional practices that have defined them. These practices not only maintain ecological balance, but also contribute to the richness of the environment, thus ensuring that the links between humans and their environment continue.

For Mount Royal, currently a declared heritage site, obtaining man-made landscape status would ensure greater recognition of its ecological components. This status would also facilitate connectivity between Mount Royal and other natural areaswithin the Montreal agglomeration, as well as with the other Monteregian Hills. Additionally, it would also strengthen collaboration with municipalities and organizations dedicated to its protection. Finally, this designation would provide official recognition and allow significant portions of Mount Royal to be included in the CMM's objective of protecting 30% of natural areas.

Les Amis de la montagne reaffirms their commitment to collaborate with all those concerned about Mount Royal, as well as with the CMM and the Coalition des Montérégiennes created in 2021 to preserve these unique landscapes. This mobilization aims to addesschallenges related to the degradation of natural environments, climate change and the intensification of urban pressure, which threaten the ecological balance of these exceptional territories.

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Photo credit: PixUp Montréal

Information:                    
Madeleine Rouleau-Dumas, Research Officer for the Promotion of Mont Royal’s Interests and Communications
Les Amis de la montagne 
mrouleau@lemontroyal.qc.ca        
514-843-8240, extension 206            

Media contact:
Isabelle Bleau
Isabelle Bleau Communications
isabelle.bleau@bellnet.ca
Office: 514-933-2523 Cell: 514-992-8319