Restoring together: a comprehensive approach to wetland and waterbody planning

In 2019, the Ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs launched the Programme de restauration et de création de milieux humides et hydriques to support long-term efforts across Québec to restore or create new, functional and lasting wetlands and waterbodies. By funding projects that maximize gains in both surface area and ecological function, the program contributes to Québec’s goal of achieving no net loss of these environments.

The program invests funds collected through the Fonds de protection de l’environnement et du domaine hydrique de l’État [Environmental Protection and State Waterbody Fund]. These investments help build specialized expertise in ecological restoration and ensures resources linked to unavoidable wetland and waterbody losses are redistributed across the province.

For Groupe Synergis, this program is an opportunity to apply its expertise in wetland and waterbody planning and ecological restoration. Because Groupe Synergis works closely with companies and Indigenous communities, its approach naturally aligns ecological and social priorities in every project.

Groupe Synergis, a member of BBA

Founded in 1996, Groupe Synergis joined BBA in 2025. Its multidisciplinary team includes specialists in environmental science, biology, environmental engineering, landscape architecture, hydrometry, surveying and geomatics.

Over the years, Groupe Synergis has developed an innovative way of working with First Nations, serving as an environmental consultant for more than 24 Indigenous communities across Québec.

Most recently, the firm created a multidisciplinary team dedicated to wetland and waterbody restoration and compensation projects. This group brings together seasoned professionals and promotes collaboration with other experts and communities of practice to deliver innovative, locally grounded projects.

As part of the Programme de restauration et de création de milieux humides et hydriques, the W8banaki Nation asked Groupe Synergis, through Abaziak Construction, to carry out a major project on land managed by the Société du parc industriel et portuaire de Bécancour (SPIPB). The goal was to identify concrete opportunities to create and restore wetlands and waterbodies. These potential sites are then assessed and prioritized before moving into the implementation phase. Since W8banaki and the SPIPB already work together to protect the land’s ecological integrity while maintaining community access, the program offered a practical way to advance these shared goals.

The project uses a multidimensional approach: analyzing current site conditions, mapping disturbed areas, comparing historical and current land use and integrating local knowledge of the territory. Drained or filled wetlands, straightened watercourses and former marshes become opportunities to restore ecological functions across the region.

In addition to restoring ecosystems and their functions, this project on SPIPB land holds deeper meaning for the W8banaki Nation. It supports the recognition of traditional and ongoing land use and helps ensure its continued access. The process for identifying natural-area enhancement projects reflects the concerns of the Wôlinak and Odanak communities, along with the land’s cultural, historical and spiritual significance. W8banaki is playing a central role by guiding the selection of projects that offer the greatest benefit to the Nation, whether by supporting harvesting, protecting landscapes, enabling cultural practices, bringing back culturally important species or improving access to the land.

And the collaboration extends even further. Local environmental organizations, the municipality and the MRC were also involved in building a clear understanding of the land and its potential for wetland and waterbody restoration. This means that several long-imagined but previously unfunded projects may now move forward thanks to the program, benefiting both local communities and surrounding ecosystems.

As project partners, W8banaki, SPIPB and BBA-Groupe Synergis must balance input from many organizations while considering the legal and industrial land constraints. This requires a multidisciplinary and inclusive approach that goes beyond business as usual. It’s how projects gain meaning and make a real impact in the community.

Groupe Synergis is also proud to support another form of collaboration: sharing knowledge about wetland and ecological restoration within communities of practice. These groups bring together environmental experts, scientists, practitioners and managers who are dedicated to wetland conservation and restoration.

At every scale, collaboration is the key to defining and carrying out meaningful, forward-looking projects that are firmly rooted in the land.