Last November, Veolia Environnement, the Coastal Protection Agency (Conservatoire du Littoral) and Rivages de France signed a three-year partnership agreement in favour of the protection and wise use of coastal wetlands.
Wetlands fulfil a wide range of ecological functions, such as regulating natural processes, natural purification, flood protection, biological production, and providing habitat for species of high natural heritage value (migratory birds). However, due to the anthropogenic pressures to which they are subjected, wetland areas are often degraded (drainage, intrusion of saline waters into freshwater wetlands at the coast, etc.).
This partnership hopes to implement local projects centred on selected wetlands belonging to the CdL estate, prioritising two aspects:
- developing research activities, measurement, analysis, running projects and pilot studies to help define methods for describing wetlands in terms of the services provided (monitoring protocols, qualification scales, , modelling, specific indicators, etc).
- improving the image of wetlands by designing teaching and awareness-raising materials aimed at local government bodies and those involved in the planning process.
Over the last few decades, there has been gradual progress towards taking wetlands into consideration. Recently, the Grenelle Environmental Round Table has agreed to a proposal to provide funding for 20,000 ha of wetlands, and in 2010 the Minister for Ecology set out a three-year plan of actions to benefit French wetlands. This plan recognises that favourable developments are being impeded both by insufficient knowledge about the ecological functioning of wetlands, and by a lingering image of wetlands as hostile places in the minds of many people.
Contacts :
Conservatoire du littoral : Anne Konitz [email protected]
Rivages de France : Vincent Jolivet [email protected]