Protecting Our Territories and Landscapes: Perspectives from Charlevoix, Catalonia, and Quebec

Ghislain Breton is a forestry engineer and director of the Urban Ecosystems Division for the City of Québec. He holds a master’s degree in land-use planning and regional development from Laval University and has worked for the City of Québec since 2014. Ghislain coordinates a team of multidisciplinary professionals, leading and coordinating several major environmental planning initiatives for the City of Québec, including the biodiversity strategy, the tree vision, and the Urban Agriculture Action Plan. It was under his leadership that the application for the Québec Biosphere Region was successfully completed.

Claudia Villeneuve holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial relations and has more than 15 years of experience in regional development in Charlevoix with organizations such as the Société d’aide au développement de la collectivité (SADC). Now serving as development manager at Tourisme Charlevoix, she strives to advance tourism in a responsible, coherent, and sustainable manner on a daily basis. She views the tourism industry as a powerful driver of community development, one that relies on a delicate balance between attractiveness, economic benefits, and respect for the environment.

Patrick Torrent holds a degree in Industrial Psychology for Organizations from the University of Barcelona and a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the UNED; he has completed training in Marketing Management at ESADE and in Information Systems Management at Master Associates. From 2005 to 2009, he served as Deputy Director General of the Consorci Turisme de Catalunya and as Deputy Director of the Catalan Tourist Board from 2010—when it was established—until 2013. He is currently Executive Director of the Catalan Tourist Board. He played an active role in the creation of the new Catalan Tourist Board and spearheaded the development of three Strategic Plans for Tourism in Catalonia. He has also coordinated Catalonia’s two Tourism Marketing Plans. He has served as an adjunct professor at various universities and has been a speaker and organizer of numerous symposia, seminars, workshops, and forums focused on tourism and its marketing. Since 2015, Mr. Torrent has represented Catalonia at NECSTouR. From 2015 to 2021, he served as President and currently serves as Vice President of this network, which brings together 41 regional tourism authorities and 30 partner organizations.