Biodôme de Montréal

An oasis in the heart of the city, the Montréal Biodôme recreates some of the most beautiful ecosystems of the Americas:  the lush and humid Tropical Rainforest, warm even in the depths of a Montréal winter; the Laurentian Maple Forest, changing with the seasons; the Gulf of St. Lawrence; and the Subpolar Regions of the Americas: Labrador Coast and Sub-Antarctic Islands.  The Biodôme, whose name means “house of life,” shows visitors the “true nature” of the Americas, by offering up their loveliest and most amazing ecosystems. When the Biodôme opened in 1992, its “ecosystem” concept was a world first. Twenty years later, this systemic approach still has no equal in the faithful and complex way in which it represents the natural environment (its “rocks,” climates, lighting, etc.) and how both the animal species themselves and the animal and plant species interact. The Biodôme, just like the other Space for Life institutions (the Botanical Garden, Insectarium and the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium), aims to raise individual and collective awareness about the need to get involved in protecting our natural heritage. It carries out its mission through educational, conservation, research and outreach efforts. In 1994, the Biodôme was accepted as a participant in the Species Survival Plan (SSP), supervised by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA). Since then, it has provided a home for breeding pairs of little monkeys from the Amazon forest (Goeldi’s monkeys, golden lion tamarins and cotton-top tamarins) and a species of parakeet from northern Brazil, the hyacinth macaw. In 2002, the Biodôme was granted international accreditation by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, as it was deemed to be in compliance with the very high standards set by the Association with respect to animal collections and all the conditions offered for them. Used in the 1976 summer games in Montreal before being converted into a biodome!