The MUBR acts as a facilitator and catalyst for projects aimed at building knowledge in the region, while also supporting the implementation of a shared vision for the sustainable use of land and resources. These initiatives make Manicouagan a true open-air laboratory for research. They support informed decision-making regarding conservation and strengthen the territory’s ecological resilience through collaboration among scientists, managers, and Indigenous communities. Here are a few examples of projects:
Socio-Ecological Monitoring Program (PSSE): The MUBR is piloting a socio-ecological monitoring program that tracks over 25 indicators in the Uapishka Biodiversity Reserve and involves some fifteen scientific collaborations in Quebec and internationally. This program serves as a key lever for adaptive land management.
Citizen Science: A citizen science program has also been implemented in the Uapishka Mountains (Groulx), inviting residents, tourists, and visiting researchers to actively contribute to biodiversity conservation. Thanks to the iNaturalist app, anyone can now document the presence of plant species sensitive to climate change using their cell phone.
Showcase for Sustainable and Responsible Tourism: From 2023 to 2025, the MUBR team documented and shared several best practices within the demonstration territory—the Uapishka Biodiversity Reserve—which led to the creation of the Showcase for Sustainable and Responsible Tourism in a Northern Context. A significant number of outreach activities were carried out across the province, highlighting the fundamental value of collaboration.
Territorial Agents: The Uapishka Station, co-managed by the Pessamit Innu Council and the MUBR, serves as a permanent logistical base in Nitassinan for the Innu territorial agents from the Pessamit community who carry out territorial surveillance of the protected area and enforce the snowmobile management protocol.
