The parliamentary process for the Emergency Agricultural Bill has now been completed. Although the proposal to redefine wetlands was ultimately not dropped, the adopted text nevertheless introduces a concerning change: the possibility of taking the functionality of wetlands into account when implementing compensation measures.
This provision was not struck down by the Constitutional Council. For the on-the-ground stakeholders, it represents a major environmental setback, weakening the very principle of wetland protection.
This development comes in a particularly paradoxical context: as of 10 August, 92 departments were subject to water-use restrictions, 67 of them at crisis level. Weakening the protections afforded to wetlands at a time when France is facing growing pressure on its water resources amounts to jeopardising ecosystems that are precisely essential allies in strengthening the resilience of territories.
In response to this situation, Tour du Valat has mobilised alongside other on-the-ground stakeholders. A letter of thanks was sent to the members of Parliament who helped prevent the redefinition of wetlands, and six institutional meetings with parliamentarians provided an opportunity to directly raise the issues surrounding their protection and sustainable water management.
Read the press release “Wetlands: fieldwork stakeholders are appalled” [1]