Matamec Ecological Reserve

IUCN Category Ia - Strict Nature Reserve

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The Réserve écologique de la Matamec is a 186 km ² large reserve in the Canadian province of Quebec, which represents an ecoregion, which is typical for the region Côte- Nord.

It borders about 25 km east of Sept- Îles to the northern shore of the St. Lawrence River, and includes the area around the eponymous Lac Matamec.

The government has kept open is necessary to extend the protected area to an area of 546 km ². In the south of the protected area are the oldest rocks from the Palaeozoic. They consist of gneiss and granite. In this case, the area in the coastal strip, the hilly landscape and the adjacent laurentinische plateau from south to north can be broken. The former consists of deposits from the time withdrew the Goldthwait Sea. The hinterland is a result of the ice age, which is reflected mainly in lakes and a sand- rich landscape. Here the forests are the most densely while they are at greater risk on the coast of settlement and mining, but also of erosion. In the north, the rocky nature and the extreme weather situation to the detriment dense forests affects. Predominant are fir, spruce and aspen. There are numerous high- Moore; the nutrient- poor are called bogs, the mineral -rich fens.

The number of vascular plants is estimated to be 325, plus more than 100 mosses and lichens. Approximately 25 species find their northernmost distribution area here.

In mammals, there are otters, fox, muskrat, black bear, moose and beaver. Salmon and brook trout here are protected, the protected area specifically serves the preservation of Atlantic salmon.