When Hydro-Québec builds dams, generating stations, power lines and substations, it affects areas that may contain ecosystems of interest in terms of their biological diversity. These areas may also be home to rare or threatened species.

In performing our environmental assessments, studies or research, we acquire new knowledge of species and their habitats.

Northern Québec

	We are participating in a program to track the movement of migrating northern caribou via satellite to learn more about their habits, particularly in the James Bay area.
	During studies for the Eastmain-1-A powerhouse and Rupert diversion project, we discovered the presence of a number of species, including: Two animals likely to be designated threatened or vulnerable: the pygmy shrew and the southern bog lemming. Four plants likely to be designated threatened or vulnerable: Gratiola aurea f. pusilla, Hieracium robinsonii, Hudsonia tomentosa and Canadanthus modestus. The boreal chorus frog, an amphibian species that is a candidate for threatened or vulnerable status.

Southern Québec

	A study program was launched to characterize and evaluate biodiversity in transmission line rights-of-way (ROWs) and adjacent woodlands. Here are the main results: Many species of plants and animals use the ROWs. Some water bodies in ROWs support amphibian recruitment, but others constitute lost habitat. Transmission line ROWs contain a wealth of plant and animal species, similar to or better than what is observed in adjacent forests.
	We joined in the efforts to restore the western chorus frog, a species designated as vulnerable in Québec, in our ROWs in Montérégie and along the banks of the Beauharnois Canal.
	Other studies identified 65% of the known golden eagle nests in Québec.