Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé National Park

The Rocher Percé

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The Parc national de l' Île- Bonaventure -et -du- Rocher - Percé ( loosely translated " National Park Bonaventure Island and Pierced Rock" ) is one of 24 national parks in the Canadian province of Québec.

There is a corresponding Parc national but what is a provincial park in the other provinces and territories.

The park is located in the port town of Percé in the Gaspé Peninsula on the eastern St. Lawrence Gulf, on the Ile Bonaventure. The town's landmark is the foot at low tide to reach, 88 m high and 438 m long limestone cliffs Rocher Percé. The area was made ​​but especially under protection, because here the largest gannet colony in Canada and elsewhere, there is a number of migratory birds visit the Bonaventureinsel. The reserve for migrating birds comprises nearly 13 square kilometers, of which 467 ha of land and 832 ha of lake surface.

History

In 1500 reached European fishermen, especially Basques, Bretons and Irish, the first time the region around the island, but not settled her to him. Only with the acquisition of colonial rule by the British in 1760, began a settlement, which lasted until 1971. Probably the grasslands emerged in the West of the island, which were kept for a long time, of course, by the local management, so logging, grazing, etc.

As in 1919 Canada and the United States signed an agreement on the protection of migratory birds concluded ( Migratory Bird Convention of 1916 ), as the Bonaventure Island was placed under protection. In 1971, the province of Quebec the island and put them under protection in 1974 was followed by the pierced rock. 1985 was what we today park where 293 bird species could be determined.

Flora and Fauna

In the warmer months some 60,000 gannets couples live in the park area, a total of more than 200,000 seabirds. In addition, one finds mainly kittiwakes, for which the island next to forillon and Anticosti is the most important retreat in the St. Lawrence Gulf (alone in these areas lived in 2010 71 % of the animals ), guillemots, terns, black guillemots, auks, silver and black-backed gulls, razorbills, cormorants, Ohrenscharben, puffins and cap Warbler. Especially for the birds that can not leave the island, provides a too high number of visitors, a significant danger because the animals feel stressed and neglect their parental care. For these types ( forest birds were last counted in 1998 ), but also for mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and the inhabitants of the coastal waters from 2011 to inventories arise.

In addition, only a few mammals on the island, like the ermine, the Snowshoe Hare and the Fox live. There are also small representatives of the class, such as white-footed mouse and North American bank vole ( Myodes gapperi ). The small number of mammals, especially on larger, is related to the habitat, which is very small and most of all, almost no watercourses offers. Moreover, although to reach the island 3.5 km off the Pacific coast in winter, but are to this time, many mammals in hibernation. In addition, global warming ensures that in winter not a sufficient ice bridge is formed to the mainland more. The two small fox families on the island are permanent residents.