A large-scale dune restoration project for the entire territory of the Magdalen Islands was launched in the spring of 2016 following a 2015 inventory of dune breaches and of the state of restoration work undertaken since 2009. The three-year period required for this project received funing from Environment and Climate Change Canada, and the first year also received support from the Fondation de la Faune du Québec. It will facilitate work on a variety of dune ridges and monitoring of the previous year’s restorations. Priority has ben given to some sectors because they carry a risk of dune and wetland degradation (erosion, new breaches, impact on wetlands, etc.) or because they harbour habitats for endangered species, such as the Piping Plover and the Horned Grebe. The West Dune sector was chosen as a starting point for the project’s initial year with its 14 km of dunes and 635 hectares of wetlands to preserve. It included more than 25 sections where the integrity of the wetlands they protected was in danger. In October 2016 the sites were visited and 13 were picked for restoration. The period between October 18 and November 3 saw fifteen structures (11 fences an 4 branch groundcovers), as well as a 285 m² plantation of Marram grass put in place. At the same time in order to raise awareness in the population an among those using the area, 3 information panels were installed along the main routes, and a class of 25 high-school students was invited to take part in an operation to plant Marram grass in a popular area for locals. These actions helped preserve a 80-hectare area, incluing wetlands with a quality index of 3 "High" 4 "Superior", as well as their adjacent lagoon environment (uncharacterized).
