Québec National Parks, one of the three magnificent Sépaq Networks

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	Conservation Mission

Mission Statement

The mission of Parc national de l'Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé is to protect a migratory bird sanctuary, as well as a geologically-rich segment of Québec that also attests to its colonization since the 16th century.

Natural Environment

Sculptured by time, the sea, and the wind, at the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula, the park is renowned for its extravagantly rich historical heritage, suprising geological past, remarkable flora and unusual fauna, including its famous colony of Northern Gannet.

The natural amphitheatre of the park is geologically rich and ancient: five geological formations, all within a 2-kilometre stretch of coastline, two of them in the heart of the park. Percé Rock towers above you-a limestone giant from the Devonian period (over 400 million years ago), that harbours some one hundred fossil species. Neighbouring Bonaventure Island, an island of conglomerate from the Carboniferous period (over 310 million years ago), lies just a bit further offshore.

Bonaventure Island is a paradise from every point of view. For bird watchers, the island is a sanctuary for over 300,000 seabirds and home to the largest Northern Gannet colony in North America. It is the most accessible colony of Northern Gannet in the world. Beyond the seaside cliffs, which call to mind Scotland and Ireland, fields and forests provide habitats for approximately 224 forest bird species, including 60 that nest on the island.

Populated by a few species of land mammals, but entirely mosquito-free, the island is a botanist's delight, with about 572 varieties of plants, including several rare and arctic-alpine species. The island is also home to a rich variety of habitats. From the beach to the cliff, natural grasslands, uncultivated and regenerating fields, peat bogs, and boreal and temperate forests are carpeted by mosses, lichens, mushrooms, and an algae that colonizes everything it touches beyond the bird sanctuary.

The coastal flats, and shallow waters around the island and the rock, harbour an amazingly rich and diverse variety of marine plants and animals, including seaweed, crabs, sea urchins, starfish, whales, seals, and dolphins!