An Act respecting the conservation of wetlands and bodies of water.

Firstly this Act (The Act) amends the "Act to affirm the collective nature of water resources and provide for increased water resource protection" by changing its name into "Act to affirm the collective nature of water resources and to promote better governance of water and associated environments". The preamble is also amended by recognizing the ecological functions of wetlands and bodies of water, defined as environments associated with water resources. They text highlights the fundamental contribution, particularly with regard to the quality and quantity of water, the conservation of biodiversity and the fight against climate change. Further amendments regard the role of watershed bodies and regional advisory panels; the regional county municipalities and local municipalities are made responsible for developing and implementing a regional wetlands and bodies of water plan in their respective territories; the Minister is grated the power to develop and implement programs to promote the restoration and creation of wetlands and bodies of water, and to impose the requirement to file various reports on the evolution of wetlands and bodies of water, in particular with regard to the objective of no net loss.
The Natural Heritage Conservation Act is also amended to facilitate conservation of certain wetlands and bodies of water through their designation and through the establishment of their boundaries on a plan. The Minister is required to establish and keep up to date a register of the designated wetlands and bodies of water. To be designated the wetlands must be remarkable because of the rarity or exceptional interest of one of their biophysical features, or meet additional criteria listed by the Act.
The Act inserts a new division on wetlands and bodies of water in the Environment Quality Act (Division V.1 Wetland and Bodies of Water). The purpose of this division is to foster integrated management of wetlands and bodies of water in keeping with the principle of sustainable development and considering the support capacity of the wetlands and bodies of water concerned and their watersheds. One objective of this division is to prevent the loss of wetlands and bodies of water and to foster development of projects with minimal impacts on the receiving environment.