Louis-Babel Ecological Reserve
IUCN Category Ia - Strict Nature Reserve
View from the east over the impact crater and reservoir. Right of center rises the Mont Babel
The Réserve écologique Louis- Babel is the largest Réserve écologique in the Canadian province of Québec.
It is a in 1991 on an area of 235.4 km ² protected zone established about 200 km north- west of Sept- Îles. It is the county municipality of Manicouagan, and occupies the northern part of the René- Levasseur Island in the Manicouagan Reservoir. The reserve is bordered on the northeast by the Réserve de biodiversité de la Météorite which is 232.72 km ².
It protects the region around 952 m high Mont Babel, which was named after the Swiss missionary Louis -François Babel ( 1826-1912 ), who worked with the Innu and Naskapi. He crossed in the years 1866, 1867, 1868 and 1870, the first Europeans to the region to Labrador. He therefore considered the first explorers of the northeastern province of Quebec. The Mont Babel was formed about 210 million years ago by the impact of a meteorite.
The area protects boreal, medium mountain and alpine forests in the ecoregion Rivière Toulnustouc where black spruce, fir and mosses predominate, and in the ecoregion Lac Marceau. Serge Paré described the island in 2003 as the " Cathedral of the Black Spruce " (p. 5), because only in Eastern Canada there are so extensive stocks dominated by this tree species habitats. These are mainly threatened by resource extraction, but continue by logging.
The area is also one of five places in the province, which are characterized by shock-like geological changes, in this case the impact of a meteorite. The thereby formed crater is the largest and most complex in all of Canada. Anorthosite, quartz and feldspar are the very predominant rocks. In addition, semi-precious stones from the zeolite group. During the last ice age, the entire mountain glaciers has been superimposed, which often left a thick layer Tilli.
The René- Levasseur Island is very mountainous. The amount of the reserve above sea level 350-940 m. The vegetation changes rapidly with the rise. Lakeside woods, then make soon stunted trees and krummholz, the tundra dominate space.