The selection of Marseille as the host of the World Conservation Congress reflects the commitment and efforts of local authorities (City of Marseille, Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis, Department of Bouches-du-Rhône and Sud-Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region) to improve the place allotted to nature in urban environments, to conserve biodiversity, and to provide a living environment that respects the aspirations of the local residents, as well as the requirements of sustainable development.
Controlling air pollution, energy transition, the conservation of biodiversity and the protection of the sea and the coastlines lie at the heart of the commitments made throughout the territory.
The sea and its coastlines
The Mediterranean features remarkable habitats (coralligenous beds, coastal lagoons, etc.), hosting more than 17.000 species. However, these areas and environments are fragile and subject to many pressures, especially during the summer. A national strategy (SNML), which puts the protection of the sea and coastline at the heart of its objectives, is therefore implemented throughout the territory.
In the City of Marseille, this strategy translates across 6 areas: the Beaches and Coastline Plan, the Navigation and Diving Plan, the Marine Environment and its Resources Conservation Plan, the Coastal, Island and Terrestrial Natural Areas Management Plan and the Bay Agreement. The city contributes 70 million EUR to this strategy.
At department and metropolitan level, several actions are being carried out to preserve the coastline and enhance its attractiveness. In 2018, the Metropolitan Council adopted a five-year coastal and maritime strategy. In addition, the Metropolis and the City are jointly piloting an action programme aimed at improving the quality of bathing water and coastal environments.
For instance, the Department of Bouches-du-Rhône manages 438 km of coastline that play a crucial role in the attractiveness of the entire territory. For its part, the Bay Agreement, which was established between the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis and the Rhône-Mediterranean-Corsica Water Agency, will in particular allow the rehabilitation of the sewerage networks and the reduction of pollutants releases through an investment of 99 million EUR.
For its part, the Sud-Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region supports many initiatives in the field of habitat conservation. As such , the “Fund for a plastic-free Mediterranean” was created in 2017, in order to support exemplary initiatives and actions for the protection of the sea against macro-waste. With the help of the Smart Waste Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Programme, this fund was able, among other things, to launch an awareness campaign for the general public.
Backcountry forests
The Sud-Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region accounts for more than 9% of the national forest area. Playing multiple roles for tourism, the economy and the environment, forests must be preserved through the implementation of a sustainable management.
In this context, in March 2017 the Sud-Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region launched a forest policy based on a comprehensive approach to control the persistent risk of forest fires. This is how the “Fire War” mechanism was created, which revolves around 3 axes: preventing the risk of forest fires, fighting fires, and rebuilding.
The Region's 6 Natural Reserves (Partias, Gorges de Daluis, l’Ilon, la Tour du Valat, Saint-Maurin et Potevine-regarde-venir) are, moreover, authentic biodiversity treasures. Ensuring that these areas are in “good health” means that they can fully play their role as sentinels.
The Metropolis and the Department are also committed to enhancing and preserving forest areas. The Metropolitan Prevention Service and the Department’s Fire and Rescue Service (SDIS) are thus pooling their resources in order to combat fire outbreaks more effectively, facilitate emergency responses, limit the spreading of fires and restore burnt areas.
Climate action
The establishment of Low Emission Areas (ZFE) is an integral part of a common sustainable development policy that addresses global challenges at territorial level. In this context, the City of Marseille approved in 2008 a Territorial Climate Plan, which was updated in 2012, and whose objective is threefold: to reduce energy consumption by 20%, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% and to increase the proportion of renewable energies.
In addition, the joint project carried out by the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis and the Department of Bouches-du-Rhône, aimed at improving air quality through the development of electric mobility, was selected as part of the “Low Emission Areas (ZFE)” Call for Projects launched by the French Agency for the Environment and Energy Management (ADEME). A decision which, through strong and committed actions, will allow the Metropolis and the Department to combat pollution from maritime transport in particular through a target-based agreement with the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille (GPMN), and also to deploy electrical connection terminals on the docks for ferries and ships.
The Sud-Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region has also made climate emergency its priority. The Climate Plan launched in 2017, whose theme “A COP Beyond” carries a strong political will, places the environment at the heart of regional priorities and is built around 4 axes: preventing risks, conserving biodiversity and terrestrial habitats, preserving the Mediterranean, and preventing and restoring aquatic environments.
A unique ecological partnership between the Sud-Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region and Costa Rica
These two territories share many similarities. With nearly 5 million inhabitants each, the Sud region and Costa Rica are both biodiversity hotspots (out of a total of 10 biodiversity hotspots worldwide). Costa Rica is home to more than 8% of the world's biodiversity, while the Sud Region is home to more than 6% of France's biodiversity. Since February 2019, these two territories have joined forces through the conclusion of an unprecedented partnership agreement around ecotourism, biodiversity, protected areas, water management, culture and capacity building. In this context, the Region has supported the development of economic partnerships on all low-carbon solutions - such as renewable energy, waste, water and sustainable construction - promoting synergies between companies in the region, such as OSHUN or the Société du Canal de Provence, and companies and institutions in Costa Rica.
Be it through the massive development of renewable energies or a support to companies that want to take action in favour of the planet and so preserve our natural heritage, the local authorities hosting the Congress (City of Marseille, Sud Region, Department of Bouches-du-Rhône and Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis) strongly demonstrate their seamless commitment to respond, at a sub-national level, to the issues addressed by the international conventions on biodiversity and climate change, having one main objective in mind: improving the well-being of their local residents.
