Anticosti National Park
Parc National d'Anticosti
Vauréal waterfall
Map showing the location of Anticosti National Park
Map showing the location of Anticosti National Park
LocationQuebec, Canada
Nearest cityPort-Menier, Quebec
Coordinates49°30′N 62°50′W / 49.500°N 62.833°W / 49.500; -62.833
Area571.9 km2 (220.8 sq mi)
EstablishedApril 2001
Visitors5500 (in 2009)
Governing bodySépaq
www.sepaq.com/pq/pan/

Anticosti National Park (French (official): Parc National d'Anticosti) is a provincial park of Quebec, located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.[1] It consists of 3 non-contiguous areas totalling 572 square kilometres (221 sq mi) of land in the centre of Anticosti Island. Portions of the park are within Anticosti World Heritage Site, established by UNESCO in 2023.

It is organized into 6 tourist sectors and 1 central zone:[2]

History

The idea of creating a park on Anticosti Island goes far back. Already in the 1920s, the richness of Anticosti's flora was highlighted by botanist Marie-Victorin, who described the canyon of the Vauréal River as a "remarkable sanctuary" for ferns. But for the following decades, the entire island was privately owned by a succession of logging companies who invested little or nothing in environmental protection.[3][4]

In 1974, Anticosti Island was bought by the Government of Quebec and became public land once again. In 1987, the Regional County Municipality of Minganie officially incorporated the idea of creating a park in the Vauréal River area in its development plan. Thereafter, it took 14 years to complete the research, studies, planning, and public hearings. The Quebec government created "Anticosti National Park" on April 26, 2001.[3] Despite its name, it is a provincial park, and not part of the country's national park system.

Park features

Natural attractions:[2]

Activities:

Park amenities:

References

  1. ^ Registre des aires protégées du Québec Archived 2013-12-12 at the Wayback Machine, Ministère du Développement durable, de l'Environnement et des Parcs. (in French)
  2. ^ a b Parc national d'Anticosti - Park Journal 2008-2009 Edition, Parcs Québec
  3. ^ a b "Portrait du parc - Histoire de la création du parc national d'Anticosti" (in French). Sépaq. Retrieved 2009-11-10.
  4. ^ "Histoire d'Anticosti" (in French). Municipalité de L'Île-d'Anticosti. Archived from the original on 2010-05-05. Retrieved 2009-11-10.
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