Supported projects
The Orchestra donates 100% of ticket revenues to the three beneficiary organizations
The Marine Mammal Research and Education Group (GREMM), World Wildlife Fund Canada (WWF-Canada) and Sierra Club Canada.
Le gala de la terre will support the GREMM’s Saint-Laurent Beluga Project
A small population of belugas has lived in the Saint-Laurent for over 10,000 years. Isolated from neighboring populations in the Far North, the Saint-Laurent belugas are endangered.
Weakened by prolonged exposure to toxic products dumped into their habitat for decades, their population has never recovered from the intensive hunting of the last century. The belugas now face disruptions caused by climate change.
Our mission: To better understand the belugas and their habitat through scientific study of their behavior and monitoring of their health status. This knowledge is crucial for defining and implementing concrete actions for the recovery of the belugas and the conservation of the Saint-Laurent ecosystem.
The three main components of the Beluga Project are:
Monitoring belugas at sea — Monitoring photo-identified belugas is the cornerstone of our research program. Each summer, since 1985, we spend hundreds of hours at sea with the belugas to create observation records of "known" individuals, a true family album.
The beluga observatory — The beluga observatory monitors the health of the female belugas in the Saint-Laurent estuary. Using images captured with lightweight drones, we perform morphometric measurements on the photo-identified females. These measurements, literally "waist measurements", are translated into fitness indices and allow us to detect pregnant females and the presence of calves with their mothers.
Window on the Belugas — From the cliffs and headlands overlooking the belugas' essential habitat, we study the rich and complex social life of the belugas using lightweight drones and hydrophones. The images and sounds captured by the beluga brigades are relayed to a network of terrestrial observation sites where naturalists invite visitors to see the belugas in a new way.
The Saint-Laurent Beluga Project is conducted with scientists from Canadian universities and NGOs in close collaboration with scientists from the Maurice-Lamontagne Institute of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Saguenay—Saint-Laurent Marine Park (Parks Canada-Sépaq).
Gala de la terre will support WWF-Canada’s 10-year plan to Regenerate Canada
Every day, in Canada and around the world, we are witnessing the devastating impacts of biodiversity loss and climate change. But there is still time to keep biodiversity loss and climate change from reaching catastrophic levels. The next decade is critical if we are going to reverse our path. Regenerate Canada is WWF-Canada bold 10-year plan to to expand habitats, reduce carbon in the atmosphere, lower industrial impacts and, as a result, reverse wildlife loss and fight climate change.
Drawing from scientific analysis and Indigenous guidance, all our conservation efforts will drive toward three ambitious goals, designed to get our future back on track:
- Restore at least one million hectares, regenerating lost complex ecosystems that provide essential wildlife habitat and sequester carbon in nature,
- Steward and protect at least 100 million hectares of vital ecosystems for wildlife and communities,
- Reduce carbon emissions by 30 million tonnes by restoring carbon-rich habitats and protecting current carbon stores.
How we’re improving habitats for biodiversity and climate in southern Quebec
On Montreal’s South Shore, we’re collaborating with municipalities to restore 42 hectares of municipal lands with native plants while advancing the implementation of nature-friendly management practices. We’ve already seen positive impacts on local biodiversity — our pilot year reported almost twice the diversity of insect species in habitats that we’ve restored, with 101 different species on average compared to 60 in “non-restored” habitats.
We also launched a maple forest biodiversity restoration and climate resilience collaboration with local foresters, conservationists and sugar bush owners — including training, carbon monitoring and partnership development — to improve sugar bush management.
LE GALA DE LA TERRE WILL HELP SIERRA CLUB TO Educate and defend the rights of nature
” The Orchestra’s latest Earth Gala allowed us to create more connections with nature for more children and youth ”
Our goal with this year’s gala is to educate and defend the rights of nature. This initiative is based on our work to protect endangered whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, some of whose “voices” will be heard at this year’s gala. We wish to use this to change our understanding of our relationship to nature to one of respect and responsibility. The project will involve education by raising the voices of those who demand respect for the rights of nature, especially rivers, in Quebec.