Gaëtan Ploteau, project manager at Regional Natural Park of Camargue, answers our questions about the “Trois marais” site, which encompasses the wetlands between the Alpilles, the Crau and the Grand Rhône, as well as the tasks of a Natura 2000 project manager in a project such as the Peatland atlas project.
1. The “Trois marais” site, for which you are Natura 2000 project manager, is involved in the Peatland Atlas project. What are the specific features of this area?
The “Trois Marais” Natura 2000 sites are located to the east of the Grand Rhône, between the Camargue, the Crau and the Alpilles. Unlike the insular Camargue, which is supplied with fresh water by the Rhône, these sites depend mainly on water coming from the river Durance.
The coexistence of two distinct hydrological regimes favors a wide diversity of habitats and species, some of which are unique in the Mediterranean. On the one hand, nutrient-rich water from agricultural irrigation canals feeds the wetlands, creating a system similar to that of the Camargue. This water encourages the development of habitats such as reedbeds and salt meadows.
On the other hand, water from the rising Crau water table is purer and fresher, enabling the emergence of rare Mediterranean habitats, such as wet meadows and Marisque marshes. This water table is 70% fed by the gravity-fed irrigation necessary for the cultivation of Crau hay, an activity essential to the preservation of the Crau marshes, just as rice-growing is for the island Camargue. These marshes are home to the main potential peat habitats. On the “Trois Marais” site, peat has accumulated in Mediterranean wet meadows, marsh marshes and, in some cases, reedbeds.
2. In your experience, what is the role of a Natura 2000 project manager? What is the added value in this Peatland atlas project?
Being a Natura 2000 project manager means above all acting as a mediator between public policies in favor of biodiversity and local stakeholders. My mission is to facilitate territorial dialogue by building bridges between environmental issues and the realities of the various local stakeholders.
My role is to preserve habitats and species of Community interest, while supporting local stakeholders in this process. My approach is based on identifying the specific needs of the area, in order to reconcile the preservation of biodiversity with socio-economic activities such as hunting and farming. It’s essential to understand these issues through the eyes of the stakeholders themselves. We don’t always agree, but we mustn’t lose sight of the fact that these are the people who shape the land, and that their experience is invaluable. I’m not the one who uses the flail mower in the middle of winter, or installs the fences in the marsh: they’re the ones who take concrete action in the field. It’s essential to find solutions together, without imposing constraints unilaterally. Only a consensual and respectful approach will achieve lasting results in terms of biodiversity protection.
A good example of this collaboration is the management of overgrowth. We have succeeded in reaching agreement with hunters and manadiers on a common objective. In recent years, the proliferation of ash trees has led to the gradual closure of natural habitats. Thanks to financing obtained in partnership with the commune of Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône, we set up a flail mowing operation to remove these ash trees, with the aim of restoring a habitat of Community interest: the Mediterranean wet meadow. This action, unanimously approved, benefits both the hunters, who gain in hunting area, and the manadier, who recovers grazing space. This project is a good illustration of our approach: an action driven by local stakeholders and built together.
As territorial coordinator, I’ve had the opportunity to meet many of the farmers and private owners of the “Trois Marais” site. My role, as part of the Peatland Atlas project, is to act as an intermediary and facilitator to establish initial contact with the various parties involved in the project. Although we’ve had a few refusals, the majority of landowners are receptive to this approach. Many of them know their land and marshes inside out, and their expertise in the field is a valuable asset: it allows us to understand the area better, to refine our thinking and to save time in the field.
As far as peatlands are concerned, the main challenge today is to preserve what remains. These ecosystems play a fundamental role as carbon sinks. In fact, preliminary feedback from the field suggests that there are still some active peat bogs in the area. In addition to preserving these remarkable habitats, we note that respectful agricultural practices, maintained for decades, have contributed to their conservation. Highlighting this aspect, both among farmers and public authorities, could encourage greater awareness of the links between agriculture, habitat preservation and carbon storage.
The owners of the “Trois Marais” land also include public managers : it would be appropriate to create a network bringing together these different players, both public and private, in order to encourage the sharing of experience, the exchange of knowledge and the dissemination of best practices in the management of wet meadows and cladia.
3. As a Natura 2000 project manager, what are the advantages of being involved in this project?
The Natural Regional Park of Camargue is currently in charge of the prefiguration of a strategic wetland management plan for the Camargue delta territory. Its aim is to provide a global vision of the state of wetlands, their functions and the pressures exerted on them. The prefiguration of this management plan is scheduled for the end of 2025. With this in mind, we feel it would be interesting to include new protection issues that have not yet been highlighted. As far as the Trois Marais sites are concerned, the “peat bog” issue seems crucial.
Located in industrialized areas and at the intersection of agricultural and environmental issues (EDF canal project, high-voltage power lines, etc.), these sites are of major ecological interest. Unlike the “Camargue island”, which is often highlighted, the “Trois Marais” site are less firmly rooted in the collective imagination, despite their richness in terms of “natural heritage”. Conversely, following on from the “Grand Port Maritime de Marseille”, the Crau marshes have often been impacted by major development projects, despite the exceptional biodiversity they host. At a time when the decarbonization of industry seems to be a priority for the public authorities, taking account of the peatlands’ carbon storage function could help to raise the profile of those areas, and even unlock funding for conservation projects.