PARCS en Santé’s research will focus, among other things, on the risk of diseases transmitted by ticks depending on the deer population and on the regeneration capacity of nature park ecosystems. (Photo: Le Courrier du Sud – Archives)
Longueuil will contribute $150,000 over the next three years to support the PARCS en Santé project. This project aims to develop a sustainable intervention strategy that protects the ecosystems of peri-urban nature parks such as the Michel-Chartrand parks and the Du Tremblay woodland, while reducing the risks to human health linked to diseases transmitted by ticks.
This support will allow researchers to conduct studies on the presence of blacklegged ticks in relation to the density of deer in these natural environments. Using GPS collars, researchers will also analyze the movements of white-tailed deer in the region in order to evaluate the reproduction rate of the Michel-Chartrand park herd. This data will be crucial for exploring sustainable solutions, such as sterilization or contraception, to manage the deer population.
After controlling the deer population in the fall of 2024, researchers will examine the impact of grazing on the biodiversity of nature parks and assess the social acceptability of the different interventions on wildlife. The PARCS en Santé project will thus make it possible to document these issues for more sustainable management of peri-urban ecosystems.
The PARCS en Santé project, led by Professor Cécile Aenishaenslin of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Montreal, also benefits from funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Alliance Grants – Mitacs Accelerate.
The PARCS en Santé project will focus its research on three main axes:
- Ticks and pathogens: Researchers will analyze the impact of deer density and the effect of a combined intervention — deer population control and rodent acaricide treatment — on the risk of tick-borne diseases.
- White-tailed Deer and Ecosystem Restoration: The project will develop and test a method to assess the regeneration capacity of nature park ecosystems after interventions. The regional movements of deer will also be studied to better understand their impact on these environments.
- Citizen science: PARCS en Santé will evaluate the potential of citizen science as a surveillance and education tool. Citizens will be invited to participate to improve collective understanding and behavior regarding conservation issues and tick-borne diseases.
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