The Charlevoix Biosphere Reserve is one of four Quebec reserves in the network of Canadian biosphere reserves by UNESCO. Its territory straddles the regional county municipalities (RCM) of Charlevoix and Charlevoix-Est, in the administrative region of Capitale-Nationale, in Québec, in Canada.

This reserve is administered by the Charlevoix Biosphere Reserve Corporation. It is part of UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme.

Understand

The reserve, with a total area of 12,900 km² (5,000 sq mi) including its transition zone of 7,430 km² (2,870 sq mi), covers the entire Charlevoix region, i.e., the Charlevoix Regional County Municipality and Charlevoix-Est Regional County Municipality. The Charlevoix crater is entirely included in the transition zone.

Tourist information

• 1 Charlevoix Biosphere Reserve Corporation, 63 rue Ambroise-Fafard, Baie-Saint-Paul, info@biospherecharlevoix.org. M–F 09:00–17:00.  

Regions

Marine Core Area

• Saguenay–Saint-Laurent Marine Park

Terrestrial core areas

• Des Grands-Jardins National Park
• Hautes-Gorges-de-la-rivière-Malbaie National Park

Terrestrial buffer zones

• Unorganized territory of Lac-Pikauba
• Unorganized territory of Mont-Élie
• Unorganized territory of Sagard
• Grands-Ormes Ecological Reserve
• Petite-Rivière-Saint-François

Transition area

North shore of the St. Lawrence from south-west to north-east: Baie-Saint-Paul, Saint-Urbain, Les Éboulements, L'Isle-aux-Coudres, Saint-Hilarion, Notre-Dame-des-Monts, Saint-Irénée, La Malbaie, Saint-Aimé-des-Lacs, Clermont, Saint-Siméon, Baie-Sainte-Catherine

Go

The buffer zone is crossed along its entire length, from southwest to northeast, by the Québec national road 138.

• At Baie-Saint-Paul (near the limit of Saint-Urbain), take Route 381 for the Des Grands-Jardins National Park.
• At Saint-Aimé-des-Lacs, take the rue Principale (rang St-Aimé) then rang St-Jérôme, for the Hautes-Gorges-de-la-rivière-Malbaie National Park.

Go next

Routes through Charlevoix Biosphere Reserve

Quebec City ← Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré ←	W  E	→ La Malbaie → Tadoussac
Saguenay (ville) ← Ferland-et-Boilleau ←	N  S	→ Saint-Urbain → Baie-Saint-Paul