Protection Policy for Lakeshores, Riverbanks, Littoral Zones and Floodplains (c. Q-2, r. 35).

The present Regulation enacts the Environment Quality Act. The objectives of the Regulation are: 1) to ensure the sustainability of bodies of water and watercourses, and to maintain and improve their quality by ensuring adequate, minimum protection of lakeshores, riverbanks, littoral zones and floodplains; 2) to prevent their degradation and erosion by encouraging their preservation in their natural state; 3) to preserve and maintain the quality and biodiversity of the environment by limiting activities which may give greater accessibility to and permit their development; 4) in the case of floodplains, to ensure the safety of persons and the protection of property; 5) to protect plants and wildlife characteristic of floodplains by taking into account the biological characteristics of that environment, and to ensure the natural stream flow is not impeded; 6) to promote the rehabilitation of degraded riparian zones using the most natural techniques possible. The text consists of 7 chapters as follows: Objectives (1); Definitions and scope (2); Lakeshores, riverbanks and littoral zones (3); Floodplains (4); Special protection measures under a management plan (5); Implementation (6); Information and education (7). Two Schedules are enclosed.