Protecting a unique heritage
The Miguasha cliff represents an extraordinary natural heritage that must be protected for all of humanity.
(80 kb) The site’s wealth lies in the sheer abundance of its fossil species, the quality of their preservation, and their value in improving our understanding of the evolution of vertebrates. In the same way that historical records are kept safe in archives, Miguasha fossils are a part of our history, and measures must be taken so that people may study them for many years to come.
(76 kb)Quebec park law prohibits the removal of rock samples within park boundaries, with the exception of samples taken in the interest of scientific research. At Miguasha, even fossils found on the beach, having tumbled from the eroding cliff, need protection. For this reason, park workers regularly patrol the beaches to gather samples and save them from the rapid destruction that would ensue at the hands of Mother Nature or visitors unaware that it is a protected area.
Since the addition of the park to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999, a ministerial decree prohibits any mineral or gas exploration inside a buffer zone around the park. This zone was transformed into a State Reserve in 2005.
The Escuminac Formation outcrops that were discovered in 2003 at the eastern tip of the Nouvelle municipality were the subject that same year of a ministerial decree banning mineral exploration. In 2006, newly discovered outcrops in the New Richmond region were similarly protected.
(80 kb) The site’s wealth lies in the sheer abundance of its fossil species, the quality of their preservation, and their value in improving our understanding of the evolution of vertebrates. In the same way that historical records are kept safe in archives, Miguasha fossils are a part of our history, and measures must be taken so that people may study them for many years to come.(76 kb)Quebec park law prohibits the removal of rock samples within park boundaries, with the exception of samples taken in the interest of scientific research. At Miguasha, even fossils found on the beach, having tumbled from the eroding cliff, need protection. For this reason, park workers regularly patrol the beaches to gather samples and save them from the rapid destruction that would ensue at the hands of Mother Nature or visitors unaware that it is a protected area.Since the addition of the park to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999, a ministerial decree prohibits any mineral or gas exploration inside a buffer zone around the park. This zone was transformed into a State Reserve in 2005.
The Escuminac Formation outcrops that were discovered in 2003 at the eastern tip of the Nouvelle municipality were the subject that same year of a ministerial decree banning mineral exploration. In 2006, newly discovered outcrops in the New Richmond region were similarly protected.
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Protecting a unique heritage
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