The Haut Saint-Laurent ZIP Committee (HSL ZIP Committee) has received $130,500 in funding from the St. Lawrence Action Fund (SLASF), via its St. Lawrence Marine Biodiversity Program (SMBP) and thanks to the financial support of the Quebec government under Advantage St. Lawrence, the provincial maritime vision. This investment will enable five (5) projects to be carried out over the course of 2023-2024.

These projects offer several environmental benefits to local ecosystems, such as reducing the pressure exerted by invasive alien plant species (IAS) on native biodiversity, increasing biodiversity abundance and connectivity between environments through restoration, and developing and improving habitat for several species.

The organization is preparing to proceed with phase 2 of the EVEE control project at Parc des Générations in L'Île-Perrot. This phase of the project will contribute to the protection of a wetland of interest, reduce the pressure exerted by EVEEs on native species by increasing the area controlled, and increase biodiversity through revegetation, with a positive impact on the park's ecosystem.

Improving swallow habitat. Several phenomena may explain the decline in populations of these avian species. The HSL ZIP committee, in collaboration with a number of towns and farmers on its territory, would like to offer the region's tree, barn and purple martin populations new nesting spaces by installing artificial nesting boxes. Several sites have been selected based on their characteristics, habitat potential and the presence of swallows nearby.

ZIP aims to help citizens, towns and municipalities protect turtle nests during the breeding season, and increase the number of sunny sites available to turtles. The project is also supported by the cities of Les Coteaux, La Prairie, Candiac and Vaudreuil-Dorion, as well as by the Beauharnois-Salaberry MRC and the Friends of the Lac Saint-François National Wildlife Area.

Following an environmental characterization of Île Dondaine in 2021, phase 2 was launched in collaboration with the City of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield. The main aim is to restore the island's natural environments, thereby helping to preserve local species. This will be achieved through the management of EVEEs, the development of compliant trails and the naturalization of grassed areas.

The team is continuing its efforts to improve the quality of the riparian buffer strips on its territory. The vegetated riparian buffer provides a number of important ecological services, such as runoff filtration, erosion control, soil stabilization and wildlife corridors linking different habitats. The proposed project involves the creation of two model riparian buffers, one at Les Coteaux and one at the Soulanges Canal in Coteau-d u-Lac.