Mont Mégantic (11485)
Canada, North America
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1d
Year of last assessment: 2008
National site name: Mont Mégantic
Central coordinates: Latitude: 45.4510, Longitude: -71.1497
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 900 to 1112
Area of KBA (km2): 87.60082
Protected area coverage (%): 77.12
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Mont-Mégantic, on the Quebec-Maine border, is a mountain near the northern end of the Appalachian Mountain chain. The town of Sherbrooke is approximately 50 kilometres to the west. The forested mountain reaches a maximum height of 1112 metres, with species composition changing as the elevation increases. The forests at the summit are composed of Balsam Fir and White Birch; mid-elevation forests are mostly Yellow Birch and Balsam Fir, while the lowest elevation forests are a Sugar Maple and Yellow Birch mix. Only the higher elevation forests are included in the IBA.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs.
Additional biodiversity: The Bicknell’s Thrush has one of the smallest breeding ranges of any North American species, and is endemic to northeastern parts of the continent. The species is also designated as globally and nationally vulnerable by Birds to Watch 3 and COSEWIC respectively. Mont-Mégantic together with nearby Mont-Gosford is one of a small number of areas in Canada with significant concentrations of this species. Research conducted in the summers of 1997 and 1998 focused on these two mountains and identified suitable habitat that was used by the thrushes. At Mont-Mégantic the thrushes were found to nest above 900 metres in elevation in cool, moist habitat with Balsam Fir dominating, and with relatively: greater density of trees; less herbaceous plant cover; greater moss cover; and more snags and dead trees. The forests where the thrush was found were often forests that had been logged several decades earlier. White Birch and spruce habitat were used but were less favourable.
Delineation rationale: 2011-06-06 (BL Secretariat): site area updated from 600 ha to 9000 ha, following GIS analysis of site polygon by Bird Studies Canada (J. Moore & S. Marquez in litt. 2009).
Habitats
Land use: nature conservation and research
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 100 |