The project on climate change adaptation in tourism, a living lab initiative led by Professor Dominic Lapointe (UQAM) and postdoctoral researcher Alexis Guillemard (UQAM), is nearing its end in the Îles de la Madeleine. Funded by the Government of Quebec and aligned with the objectives of the Green Economy Plan 2030, this project aims to document and support climate change adaptation solutions for tourism stakeholders. It has contributed to progress in:

• Experiments on shoreline revegetation;
• Developing a common discourse on climate change for tour guides;
• Highlighting the adaptation of Château Madelinot in response to the loss of its seal-watching activities;
• Exploring the links between climate change and the psychological well-being of tourism actors.

In September and October 2024, a collaboration with Alliance Myrique facilitated several revegetation experiments at tourism sites. Yves Leblanc and Alexis Leblanc, co-owners of the company, intervened in various locations to plant sweet gale. This plant, found in the wild in several areas of the islands, has root-binding properties that could play a valuable role in efforts to curb erosion.

The aim of this experimentation was to connect a Madelinot solution provider with tourism stakeholders facing challenges related to erosion and flooding. The Parc de Gros-Cap, Motel l'Archipel, Atelier Côtier, La Salicorne, the chemin des Échoueries, in Havre-aux-Maisons, have benefited from PAACT's support to plant dozens of shrubs at each site.

In the coming months, Alliance Myrique and the researchers will monitor the different sites to assess whether sweet gale can become an effective ally in adapting shorelines to the effects of climate change. In the meantime, this shrub has enabled each organization to participate in a localized implementation of adaptation. And, as public health doctors, nurses, and researchers remind us, taking action is part of the remedy for eco-anxiety!

For more information, contact 100,101,118,101,108,111,112,112,101,109,101,110,116,64,116,111,117,114,105,115,109,101,105,108,101,115,100,101,108,97,109,97,100,101,108,101,105,110,101,46,99,111,109|74,97,115,111,110,32,66,101,110,116,60,47,97,62|Courriel via www.tourismeilesdelamadeleine.com|||, Tourism Development Advisor at Tourisme Îles de la Madeleine.

* This text was partly drafted and translated with the assistance of artificial intelligence and has been reviewed and approved by a human team to ensure quality and relevance.