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on The Zoo is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., every day.

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

From the very beginning, the mission of the Zoo sauvage has been intricately linked to the protection of the environment, ecosystems and their inhabitants. Over the years, scientific knowledge has contributed to expanding our own knowledge in this field and to improving the Zoo’s positioning in terms of popularization, environmental protection and conservation. As scientific knowledge evolves, so does public understanding of environmental issues.

The concept of sustainable development has existed for decades. However, it has been more widely used and defined in the recent past. While the concept consists of three axes, environmental, social and economic considerations, it is guided in Quebec by 16 major principles.

The Centre for Conservation of Boreal Biodiversity, which oversees the Zoo sauvage, was created in 2002 to better fulfill our mission “Making people love nature in order to preserve it”.

By virtue of its mission, the Zoo sauvage has a natural affinity with the environmental axis of sustainable development. However, it also has a significant social and economic impact.

On behalf of the Executive Board, management and staff of our organization, I support the fulfillment of our mission through our Sustainable Development Policy in order to continue improving our practices.

Réjean Lavoie
President, CCBB Inc. Executive Board

PREAMBLE

This Sustainable Development Policy frames and embodies the actions taken every day by the various actors within the organization. As it formalizes their commitment, it empowers both individuals and the organization to challenge themselves in terms of sustainable development.

SCOPE

This policy applies to all direct and indirect actors involved in the Zoo sauvage: members of the Executive Board, employees, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, the public and other stakeholders.

DEFINITION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The Zoo sauvage is using the definition of sustainable development set out by the Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques (MDDELCC):

“Sustainable development means development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable development is based on a long-term approach which takes into account the inextricable nature of the environmental, social and economic dimensions of development activities.”

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

The Zoo is guided, at a minimum, by five major principles articulated in the Société des musées du Québec (SMQ) Charter of Museums and Sustainable Development:

  • Social equity and solidarity
  • Participation and commitment
  • Access to knowledge
  • Protection of cultural heritage
  • Responsible production and consumption

The Zoo has added two principles that naturally reflect its mission:

  • Environmental protection
  • Biodiversity preservation

A component has also been added to one of the five aforementioned priorities:

  • Protection of cultural and natural heritage

ZOO SAUVAGE OBJECTIVES IN THE CONTEXT OF THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT POLICY

Objectives to be achieved by the organization and employees of the Zoo under this policy are directly linked to the very essence of the guiding principles. Definitions of the MDDELCC and related objectives of these guiding principles are outlined below.

  • Social equity and solidarity

“Development must be undertaken in a spirit of intra- and inter-generational equity and social ethics and solidarity.”

Objectives

  • Treat staff fairly through compliance with collective agreement provisions.
  • Treat visitors fairly by training employees to respond to their needs and concerns.
  • Treat subcontractors and suppliers fairly by upholding the ethics of tendering and bidding processes.
  • Environmental protection

“To achieve sustainable development, environmental protection must constitute an integral part of the development process.”

Objectives

  • Revamp interpretation at the Zoo to attract visitors with eye-catching signs that contain current scientific information on environmental protection.
  • Raise staff awareness about residual materials management and 3R-R (reduce, reuse, recycle and reclaim).
  • Ensure that every waste collection point onsite has a recycling container.

“The participation and commitment of citizens and citizens’ groups are needed to define a concerted vision of development and to ensure its environmental, social and economic sustainability.”

Objectives

  • Secure staff support in implementing the Development Plan.
  • Secure community support for the Zoo sauvage through financial contribution to the Development Plan to ensure organizational sustainability.
  • Access to knowledge

“Measures favourable to education, access to information and research must be encouraged in order to stimulate innovation, raise awareness and ensure effective participation of the public in the implementation of sustainable development.”

Objectives

  • Revamp interpretation at the Zoo to attract visitors with eye-catching signs that contain current scientific information on the ecology and conservation of wildlife and plant species.
  • Update educational content for all audiences (general public, schoolchildren, toddlers, etc.).
  • Expand the use of social media to share educational messages on environmental and species protection.
  • Increase participation in university scientific research programs.
  • Protection of cultural and natural heritage

“The cultural heritage, made up of property, sites, landscapes, traditions and knowledge, reflects the identity of a society. It passes on the values of a society from generation to generation, and the preservation of this heritage fosters the sustainability of development. Cultural heritage components must be identified, protected and enhanced, taking their intrinsic rarity and fragility into account;

Objectives

  • Improve the visual aspect of landscapes in the Nature Trail Park.
  • Promote reproduction of at-risk species within the collection.
  • Increase the contribution of the Zoo to in situ conservation projects.
  • Biodiversity preservation

”Biological diversity offers incalculable advantages and must be preserved for the benefit of present and future generations. The protection of species, ecosystems and the natural processes that maintain life is essential if quality of human life is to be maintained.”

Objectives

  • Provide employees with greater access to valid and reliable information on biodiversity preservation to help them interact more effectively with visitors.
  • Require naturalists to provide information on ways to preserve biodiversity during every interpretation at animal feedings or hosted encounters.
  • Urge naturalists to propose projects on biodiversity preservation while promoting group involvement.
  • Responsible production and consumption

“Changes must be made in production and consumption patterns to make them more sustainable and socially and environmentally responsible, inter alia by adopting an eco-efficiency approach that avoids waste and optimizes the use of resources. »

Objectives

  • Reassess our consumption of drinking water and explore options for reducing it.
  • Take inventory of equipment to avoid unnecessary purchases.
  • Remind everyone of the content of the Purchasing Policy.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Chief Executive and Departmental Directors are responsible for implementing the Policy and delivering targeted objectives.

The Policy will be posted and employees will have ready access to it. They will be briefed on sustainable development and organizational objectives. They will be key partners in meeting those objectives and identifying ways to achieve them.

Departmental Directors, with the support of their staff, will identify measurable and realistic actions to take in order to fulfill the objectives. These actions will be established through the annual update of the Directors’ Action Plan.

The Policy will be distributed to all stakeholders and posted on the Zoo sauvage website for public information.

The Policy will be reviewed at least every five years or more frequently, as required.

IMPLEMENTATION

The Zoo sauvage Sustainable Development Policy will come into effect on Thursday, September 27, 2018, further to its adoption by the Executive Board of the Zoo sauvage de Saint-Félicien.

Christine Gagnon, biologist
Director of Conservation and Education
September 20, 2018

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