The Nature Conservancy of Canada says it is expanding a wilderness corridor north of Montreal that's essential for wildlife movement. The group says it's protected 95 hectares of a natural passage linking four major forest areas in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, in the Laurentians.
The woods are home to black bears and reptiles such as the smooth green snake, which is a species likely to be designated "threatened" or "vulnerable" under the Quebec government's Species at Risk Act
The organization says such corridors are essential, given that many natural areas are becoming fragmented by man-made infrastructure such as roads, highways and cities.
The protected area includes typical Laurentian vegetation such as sugar maple groves and birch fir stands, as well as wetlands that provide a habitat to several species of birds and amphibians.