Quebec protects the habitat of the western chorus frog in Montérégie and Outaouais

The Western/Striped Chorus Frog has declined throughout the St. Lawrence Valley in Quebec as a result of habitat loss. SOURCE: Nature Watch Canada

The Quebec government announced Tuesday “the legal designation of a new wildlife habitat” for the western chorus frog in the Montérégie and Outaouais regions.

Starting Jan. 1, 2026, the wildlife habitat of the western chorus frog will be officially protected on public lands in Montérégie and Outaouais, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of the Environment.

“When it comes to protecting our biodiversity, all species are important, even the smallest ones, such as the western chorus frog. Despite our efforts, its populations continue to decline. It has therefore become necessary to take further action, as we are doing today by legally protecting its habitat on public land,” said Environment Minister Bernard Drainville.

The western chorus frog, a small amphibian measuring an average of 2.5 cm, reproduces in small, often temporary wetlands that are increasingly threatened by agriculture and urban sprawl.

The western chorus frog has been in the news for decades and is so important to biologists because it is a kind of canary in the coal mine for wetlands.

When it disappears from a wetland, it is often a sign to biologists that the ecosystem is no longer healthy.

In Quebec, where the western chorus frog is classified as a vulnerable species, its population has declined at an estimated rate of 37 per cent per decade since the 1950s. It now lives in only about 10 per cent of its former range.

Rapid habitat loss is considered the main cause of the population decline, but climate change is exacerbating this threat.

- Stéphane Blais in Montreal

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Dec. 16, 2025.