Prensation Guide of the Estuaire Picards and Mer d`Opale Marine

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Slack estuary
Ambleteuse
Wimereux
le Wimereux
Boulogne-sur-mer
la Liane
The Channel
PAS-DE-CALAIS
Canche estuary
Étaples-sur-mer
Authie estuary
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-2
m
Somme estuary
ea limit
al s
Territori
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Marine Nature Park
Estuaires picards et mer d’Opale
Berck-sur-mer
m
-5m
0
-3
Cayeuxsur-mer
Le Tréport
la B
res
SEINEle
MARITIME
Le Crotoy
SOMME
Saint-Valery-sur-Somme
kilometers
nautical
miles
Park perimeter
Editorial
It was an honour when, in October 2014, the management board of the Parc naturel marin
des estuaires picards et de la mer d’Opale (The Estuaire Picards and Mer d’Opale Marine
Nature Park ) appointed me as its chairperson.
After being involved in the Marine Park since its pre-configuration, and then in its governance
alongside my predecessor Christian Manable, to whom I would like to pay tribute, I am
convinced that, more than ever before, the Park will be a key asset in the territorial and marine
landscape of the Pas-de-Calais, Somme and Seine-Maritime region, prefiguring great regions
of tomorrow which integrate the marine dimension.
This Park is the most northern and the most estuarial in France. Located in an international
strait, numerous activities are represented at the site. It therefore also constitutes a major
challenge in terms of maintaining environmental, economic and social balance and wealth.
A Marine Nature Park is a management tool which brings a vision of the sea ashore. The
management board thus speaks as one, in the interests of the sea and the coast. This
participatory governance is a key feature: the Park must ensure that everyone can live in and
enjoy the natural environment, without compromising its quality and potential.
I would like us to work on truly integrating our responsibility for the sea. Aware of its strengths
and vulnerabilities, we must manage it together and in the right way, from a sustainable
development perspective.
Dominique GODEFROY
Chairman of the management board of the Marine
Nature Park Estuaires picards et mer d’Opale
Vice-President of the Communauté d’agglomération du
Boulonnais (Boulogne Urban Community)
Vice-President, Channel-North Sea,
Association Nationale des Élus du Littoral
(National Association of Elected Representatives of the Coastal Regions)
4 < MARINE NATURE PARK ESTUAIRES PICARDS ET MER D’OPALE
Summary
THE PARK, A MARINE PROTECTED AREA OF EXCELLENCE
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DATA SHEET
8
A TERRITORY WITH AMBITION
10
MANAGEMENT BOARD
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MANAGEMENT PLAN
18
THE PARK IN THREE QUESTIONS
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MARINE PROTECTED AREA NETWORK
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MARINE NATURE PARK ESTUAIRES PICARDS ET MER D’OPALE >
5
ED AREA
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THE PARK, A
Nature Marine Parks (parcs naturels marins) were established by a French law of 14 April 2006. They are
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managed
by the Agence des Aires Marines Protégées (French Marine Protected Areas Agency), a public
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organisation placed under the authority of the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy.
THE ESTABLISHING DECREE BIRTH CERTIFICATE OF THE PARK
Marine Nature
Park: national
recognition of a
benchmark territory
After a three-year consultation process and a
public inquiry, the Marine Nature Park Estuaires
picards et mer d’Opale was established by decree
on 11 December 2012.
The establishing decree defines the three
components of the Park:
• the boundaries: the Park covers 2,300 km2
of marine area and extends from Ambleteuse
to Le Tréport,
• the members of the management board: the
Park is governed by 60 members representing
all local stakeholders,
• the management guidelines: the eight
guidelines define the Park’s key objectives.
6 < MARINE NATURE PARK ESTUAIRES PICARDS ET MER D’OPALE
THE PARK IN A NUTSHELL
>2,300 km² of locally
managed marine area.
>Balance between conservation
of biodiversity and sustainable
development of activities.
>An innovative management tool
that is part of the Marine Protected
Areas network in the Channel.
EIGHT MANAGEMENT
GUIDELINES
The management guidelines define the personality and principal goals of the Marine Nature
Park Estuaires picards et mer d’Opale. They thus provide guidance for all of the Park’s
action. They emerged through the consultation with local stakeholders during the study
mission phase conducted prior to the Park’s creation.
There are eight guidelines covering all of the
Marine Nature Park’s areas of intervention and objectives.
A TOOL FOR MANAGING AND
PROTECTING THE SEA
> Improve and share knowledge of the marine environment;
> Protect ecosystems and the natural marine heritage;
> Contribute to the good environmental status of the sea’s waters;
> Protect, develop knowledge and raise awareness of the seascapes
(marine and submarine), and the cultural assets;
> In partnership, coordinate management of protected areas at sea or adjacent to the sea;
The Marine Nature Park Estuaires picards et
mer d’Opale is an original tool that opens up new
prospects in terms of marine area management.
It aims to achieve three closely interconnected
goals:
• Knowledge of the marine environment,
• Protection of that environment, particularly
the habitats and species it features,
• Sustainable development of marine activities.
The Park’s
ambition:
integrated
management
of the marine
environment
> Sustainably develop the different forms of fishing, as
essential activities for the local economy;
> Sustainably develop activities with respect for the environment and a focus on innovation:
professional, recreational and traditional uses which convey the marine identity;
> Cooperate with neighbouring countries to protect and manage a shared marine area.
The Park does not put the protected area in a
glass case. While preserving the natural heritage,
it must contribute to the sustainable development
of marine activities which, in most cases, are
dependent upon good marine environmental
status. It also contributes to raising stakeholder
and user awareness of the impor tance of
protecting the natural marine heritage.
MARINE NATURE PARK ESTUAIRES PICARDS ET MER D’OPALE >
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DATA SHEET
Preserved landscapes
GÉOGRAPHIE
> 2,300 km2 of exclusively
marine space
> 118 km of coast line
> 64 metres maximum depth
> 7 coastal rivers, from north
to south: the rivers Slack,
Wimereux, Liane, Canche,
Authie, Somme and Bresle
> 120 km² of estuarial area, with
70 for the Bay of Somme alone
> 37 towns
> 3 French départements:
Pas-de-Calais, Somme
and Seine-Maritime
> 3 regions: Nord-Pas-de-Calais,
Picardy and Upper Normandy
NATURAL
WEALTH
Outstanding biodiversity
> Over 200 plant and animal species, including
migrating species:
> 16 species of marine mammal (grey seal
and harbour seal, bottlenose dolphin, porpoise, etc.);
> 69 species of seabird (black throated
diver, tern, Northern gannet, etc.);
> 90 species of fish;
> 37 species of plant;
> many invertebrates.
> A great diversity of habitats: estuaries, sandy
beaches, rocky foreshores, sand banks, underwater dunes and rocky shoals.
Recognised natural heritage
> 4 Natura 2000 sites managed by the Park;
> 2 national nature reserves: Bay of Canche
and Bay of Somme;
> 2 biotope protection by-laws: Cayeux salt
marshes and Routhiauville headland;
> 4 game reserves for waterbirds: two in Pasde-Calais, two in Somme;
> 11 Conservatoire du Littoral sites.
8 < MARINE NATURE PARK ESTUAIRES PICARDS ET DE LA MER D’OPALE
> 5 listed sites: Le Marquenterre (90 km², land
and marine), Le Hourdel headland and Cap
Hornu (22 km², land and marine), the dunes of
La Slack (27 km²), the fort of Ambleteuse (0.2
km²), Le Touquet headland (3.8 km², mainly
marine);
> 2 Grands Sites de France fully or partially
included in the Park: the Bay of Somme and
Deux Caps;
> the Bay of Somme, classed as one of «The
Most Beautiful Bays in the World».
SEA
AND MEN
Sea fishing
> 5 fishing ports: Étaples-sur-Mer, Le Crotoy,
Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, Le Hourdel, Le Tréport and Boulogne-sur-Mer – France’s largest
fishing port;
> 5% of global fishing carried out in the Straits
of Dover, one of the 5 most productive marine
spaces in the world;
> 180 small-scale fishing vessels, 850 fishermen and 2,500 induced jobs;
> 150 companies operating in the fish trade,
transformation, packaging and logistics, i.e.
5,032 additional induced jobs.
Professional and recreational
onshore fishing
> 400 professionals, i.e. 1/5th of onshore fishermen in metropolitan France;
> France’s largest source of cockles (3,000 to
5,000 T/annum) and samphire, in the Bay of
Somme;
> 16 species harvested: cockles, salt marsh
plants, wild mussels, common shrimps, fish
caught from the shore, worms, etc.
Industry and transport
> 368,000 metric tons of shingle extracted per
year, 97 direct jobs and almost 400 induced
jobs;
> 80,000 maritime transport vessels per year:
the Straits of Dover are the second busiest straits
in the world, with 20% of global marine traffic;
> 50 cross-Channel rotations per day.
Leisure and tourism
> 8 major nature sports: sand yachting (char à
voile), sailing and motor boating, dinghy sailing,
kite-surfing, canoeing, stand-up paddle, horseriding and hiking;
> Approximately 4,000 hunters and 330 lodges,
including 180 in the Bay of Somme.
Cultural and marine heritage
> Fishing, harvesting on the foreshore, waterbird
hunting, sea festivals, scientific research and
popularization of sea science, specific boat
launching methods, etc.: practices that illustrate the maritime cultural identity;
> Painting, graphic art and religious monuments,
fishing villages, listed seaside homes, etc.: a
wealth of maritime and seaside artistic and
architectural heritage;
> Over 70 wrecks located; numerous coastal
structures, etc.: evidence of marine risks and
their management by man.
MARINE NATURE PARK ESTUAIRES PICARDS ET DE LA MER D’OPALE >
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UNDERSTANDING AND
PROTECTING THE NATURAL
HERITAGE
The Park nurtures
the ambition
of becoming a
real platform
for knowledge
dissemination
and sharing
From the emerald waters of the Opal Coast to the
pearly waters of the Albâtre coast, the Channel
features some unusual and often spectacular
sights. The vast Canche, Authie and Somme
estuaries offer a protected setting and an
untamed environment.
The beauty of the coastal landscapes and
seascapes contributes to the local people’s
quality of life, inspires artists and attracts tourists.
The waters in the Marine Nature Park contain
outstanding natural heritage on which many
professional and recreational activities depend.
All of this wealth combined justifies the creation,
in this specific place, of a Marine Nature Park, an
ambitious marine territory, or «maritory».
10 < MARINE NATURE PARK ESTUAIRES PICARDS ET MER D’OPALE
With seven coastal rivers, one marine river
and multiple currents, the Marine Nature Park
Estuaires picards et mer d’Opale represents
a major biological crossroads. It is home to
numerous plant and animal species living in the
broad diversity of habitats: salt pastures, sandy
plains, rocky flats, etc.
Between the white limestone cliffs in the south
and the grey sandstone cliffs in the north lies the
sandy foreshore: the beach.
At the conjunction of land and sea, in the estuaries,
an abundance of living species develops: fish,
molluscs, crustaceans, birds and mammals seek
shelter and rest in this protected environment.
The shallow coastal waters offer a wealth of
biological production: from shrimps to porpoises,
all the species find their food!
Out at sea, underwater dunes unfurl beneath
the effects of the currents and winds. Numerous
fish, like sole, and shellfish breed and grow. It
is not unusual to spot a bottlenose dolphin or a
short-finned pilot whale, migrating towards more
northern waters, like the northern gannets, terns
and black throated divers.
Only a few nautical miles from Boulogne-sur-Mer,
the rocky Ridens shoals rise up from the sand
and accommodate a variety of flora and fauna
including brush sponges, algae, anemones, etc.,
contributing to the Park’s natural wealth.
MARINE NATURE PARK ESTUAIRES PICARDS ET MER D’OPALE >
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Inventing and
building the Park’s
future, together and
on a local scale
The marine environment of the Picardy estuaries
and the Opal Sea is rich. Its natural resources
fuel substantial maritime economic activity,
both traditional and innovative. Maintaining the
quality of resources and sustaining activities are
contingent upon the protection of this marine
heritage.
SUPPORTING SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT OF MARITIME
ACTIVITIES
New passions for the sea emerge as time goes
by. Sailing, recreational fishing, bathing and sand
yachting, as well as new sports like kite-surfing
and paragliding or even treks and races, share
the marine and coastal space each summer.
In the Marine Nature Park, the economy is above
all paced by professional fishing. Being the major
offshore activity, it contributes to shaping the
coastal landscapes, with harbours and ports.
Fishing also provides men with their livelihood: it
supplies a large local industry which transforms
the produce of the sea, including from more
12 < MARINE NATURE PARK ESTUAIRES PICARDS ET MER D’OPALE
distant waters. However, the sector’s economic
difficulties, the depletion of certain resources
and the alteration of the marine environment
are prompting research and development into
the diversification of harvested resources and
the adaptation of techniques, etc.
Seawater quality is among these key concerns.
As it directly influences biodiversity and uses,
improving water quality is a priority for the Marine
Nature Park.
The overall goal of reducing energy expenditure
is now prompting a rapid change of technology
in which offshore renewable energies play a
definite role.
As a sustainable development tool, the Marine
Park seeks to preserve the natural heritage
on which the different activities depend. It is
an instrument for protecting and managing
the marine environment while integrating all
ecological, economic, landscape and human
concerns.
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CONSIDERING THE PAST,
PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE
The Marine Nature Park is the cradle of traditional
uses that are still very much alive and closely
interlinked with local cultural and social history:
offshore or inshore fishing, waterbird hunting
and even shingle extraction. At the turn of the
20th century, seaside tourism developed in the
north of France, in major resorts like Wimereux
and Le Touquet. In the past twenty years, seaside
nature activities have incessantly grown in
popularity.
These uses, whether traditional or contemporary,
have given rise to a unique cultural heritage,
underpinning the marine identity of the coastal
inhabitants. The traditional role of fishing is
engraved in the collective unconscious. The
seascapes, species and marine culture of the
Picardy estuaries and the Opal Sea have also
inspired numerous artists and writers including
Édouard Manet, William Turner, Virginie DemontBreton and Élizabeth Bourgois.
In all of its activities, the Marine Nature Park draws
on the local marine culture and thus regards
knowledge, dissemination and conservation of
this heritage as a real goal.
14 < MARINE NATURE PARK ESTUAIRES PICARDS ET MER D’OPALE
SHARING THE SEA
Sustainable development is not possible without
environmental education. The Marine Nature
Park plays a role in developing awareness and
education by conveying values of respect and
sharing to all.
AN INTERNATIONALLYORIENTED PARK
Some places in the Marine Nature Park
Estuaires picards et mer d’Opale are equidistant
from the British and French coasts; Belgium and
the Netherlands are also close neighbours.
The Park aims to establish effective cooperation
with these countries, for the protection and
management of a common marine space. The
challenges of protecting natural heritage and
sustainably developing marine activities indeed
know no boundaries!
MARINE NATURE PARK ESTUAIRES PICARDS ET DE LA MER D’OPALE >
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T BOARD
MANAGEMEN
LOCAL, PARTICIPATORY
GOVERNANCE
MANAGEMENT BOARD
MEMBERSHIP
(in number of people)
2
Other protected areas
6
Environmental
societies
6
Government services
4
The management board is the governing body
of the Marine Nature Park Estuaires picards et
mer d’Opale.
The board is a local body comprising 60 members
who ensure balanced representation of the various
stakeholders: professional fishermen, local authorities, recreational users, environmental protection
societies, experts and government services.
It is chaired by Dominique GODEFROY, appointed in October 2014, and Vice-President of the
Communauté d’Agglomération du Boulonnais
(Boulogne Urban Community).
The management board decides on and implements the Park’s policy. This policy is consistent
with the management guidelines established by
the Park’s initial decree.
16 < MARINE NATURE PARK ESTUAIRES PICARDS ET DE LA MER D’OPALE
Qualified
personalities
13
Local
authorities
22
Professional
users
7
Recreational users
This participatory governance is at the centre of
operations of the Marine Nature Park Estuaires
picards et mer d’Opale.
The Marine Park’s management board, which
meets two to three times a year on average:
• develops the Park’s management plan,
• defines the annual action plan,
• decides on the financial and technical
support to be granted to projects that are
consistent with the Park’s objectives,
• drafts the Park’s annual activity report.
The management board does not have any direct
regulatory authority. However, it may propose that
regulations be introduced or changed, where this
is considered necessary.
It may also ask to be informed about any marine
or land-based project concerning the Park’s
marine environment.
To facilitate implementation of its policy, the
management board of the Marine Nature
Park Estuaires picards et mer d’Opale has
created an executive committee comprising 14
members and forming a smaller college of its
representatives.
The management board’s decisions are published
after each meeting. The proceedings are available
online in the compilation of administrative acts of
the Agence des Aires Marines Protégées (Marine
Protected Areas Agency).
The management board acts on authority from
the board of directors of the Agence des Aires
Marines Protégées and reports on its activities
each year.
TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTAL
EXCELLENCE
The Marine Nature Park is entitled to give its
opinion on projects, to guarantee the quality
of the environment.
Where such projects are «liable to significantly
alter the marine environment» (Ar ticle L.
334-5 of the French Environmental Code),
the management board’s opinion becomes
“mandatory” and must therefore be applied by
the public authorities responsible for the case.
The management plan thus provides guidance
for assessing the potential impact of projects
on the marine environment, issuing simple or
mandatory opinions and supporting constructive
recommendations.
It above all serves to encourage stakeholders to
propose projects devoid of all negative impacts
for the environment.
The Chairman of the Park’s management board
is a member of the Agency’s board of directors
and takes part in its governance. On the board,
he defends the interests of the Marine Nature
Park Estuaires picards et mer d’Opale.
The management board does not work alone. It
relies on a team of agents and on technical and
financial resources provided by the Agence des
Aires Marines Protégées.
MARINE NATURE PARK ESTUAIRES PICARDS ET DE LA MER D’OPALE >
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A TERRITORIAL PROJECT
DEVELOPED IN CONSULTATION
To develop its management plan, the
management board of the Marine
Nature Park Estuaires picards et mer
d’Opale has chosen to work in specific
groups, coordinated by the executive
committee and open to everyone:
> The natural heritage working
group, chaired by Dominique
GODEFROY, Vice-President, marine
environment, natural heritage
and renewable energies, of the
Communauté d’agglomération
du Boulonnais (Boulogne Urban
Community), and Thierry RUELLET,
Director of the Groupe d’études
des milieux estuariens et littoraux
(GEMEL – Study Group on Estuarine
and Coastal Environments),
T PLAN
MANAGEMEN
A SHARED VISION:
FOR THE COMING 15 YEARS
The management
plan is a real
project for the
marine territory
over the next
fifteen years
Drafted by the management board with support
from the Park’s technical team, the management
plan sets out the measures to be implemented
for the Marine Nature Park’s protection,
knowledge, promotion and sustainable
development.
Objectives are set for a 15-year period. This
complete, ambitious vision of marine management
serves as a framework for all day-to-day action
within the Park.
Fifteen years is a significant timescale both
regarding environmental development (changes
to ecosystems, species, the climate, etc.) and
society (new behaviours, new tools, etc.).
The government, local authorities and all
organisations involved in the Marine Park’s
management ensure that their actions are consistent
and coherent with the management plan.
18 < MARINE NATURE PARK ESTUAIRES PICARDS ET MER D’OPALE
A FRAMEWORK DOCUMENT
FOR THE PARK’S ACTION
The 15-year objectives, called «management
objectives», are the main working priorities
d e c i d e d by t h e m a n a g e m e n t b o a r d t o
improve management of the marine area. The
management plan sets out the action and
measures that the Park must implement based
on four focuses: knowledge of the environment,
suppor t for projects, user awareness and
enforcement at sea.
The Park also has an evaluation tool: the
dashboard. The dashboard consists of indicators
which enable the Park to measure progressive
achievement of its key objectives, i.e. protecting
the natural heritage and sustainably managing
human activities. Management board members
can also assess the pertinence of their action
and adapt their policy.
> The professional activities
working group, chaired by François
NADAUD, Deputy Director of the
Direction Départementale des
Territoires et de la Mer du Pas-deCalais (Pas-de-Calais Departmental
Division of Territories and Sea),
> The recreational activities working
group, chaired by Patrick TRIPLET,
Director for natural environments of the
Syndicat Mixte Baie de Somme-Grand
Littoral Picard (Baie-de-Somme Grand
Littoral Picard Joint Association),
> The cultural heritage working group,
chaired by Jean-Marc HOEBLICH,
lecturer at the Université de Picardie
Jules Vernes and assistant director
of the History and Geography
education and research unit.
MARINE NATURE PARK ESTUAIRES PICARDS ET DE LA MER D’OPALE >
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THE PARK
ESTIONS
IN THREE QU
What is a Park’s addedvalue compared to existing
management tools?
Compared to other environmental protection
tools (nature reserves, national parks, Natura
2000, etc.) which tend to focus more on
preserving the natural, cultural or landscape
heritage, a Marine Nature Park’s originality
lies in the complementarity that exists between
the environmental protection goals and the
sustainable development of human activities.
It is a comprehensive tool which addresses
e nv i r o n m e n t a l , e c o n o m i c, c u l t u ra l a n d
landscape issues. The Park’s strength, its
identity, also lies in its local governance,
handled by the management board in which all
stakeholders are represented. In addition, the
Park brings the other protection tools to light.
For example, the Park manages the Natura
2000 sites located within its boundaries,
implementing a single and global policy for
marine area protection. Lastly, the Park acts
as a federator and a driver for projects,
20 < MARINE NATURE PARK ESTUAIRES PICARDS ET MER D’OPALE
giving rise to partnerships and raising funds.
It enhances the area’s outreach as a centre
of excellence and competence.
Can the Park prohibit or
regulate a professional or
recreational activity?
The creation of the Marine Nature Park Estuaires
picards et mer d’Opale does not create any new
regulations in itself. The Park’s management
board does not have any regulatory powers.
However, it may propose a new regulation or
a change to an existing regulation, where it
considers this necessary. The board may also
object to any activity liable to have a substantial
impact on the marine environment, notably by
means of its mandatory opinion.
Compliance with existing regulations as regards
fishery control, environmental enforcement and
cultural assets must be exemplary within the Park.
The field officers of a Marine Nature Park are
appointed and empowered to enforce them. At the
same time, the Park conducts a policy to support
and raise awareness among professional and
recreational users in order to develop sustainable
practices respectful of the marine environment.
What resources does the Park
have?
To carry out its actions, the Marine Nature Park
Estuaires picards et mer d’Opale is provided
with human, financial and technical resources
by the Agence des Aires Marines Protégées,
out of an allocation from the French Ministry for
Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy.
Mainly dedicated at the outset to developing
the management plan, human resources are
subsequently built up to implement the plan,
particularly by the creation of a team of field
officers.
The Park also relies on a network of local
partners, most of whom are members of the
management board.
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NETWORK
WHAT IS A MARINE
PROTECTED AREA?
Marine Protected Areas (MPA) are delimited
offshore spaces that meet long-term
nature conservation objectives. The French
Environmental Code currently recognises 15
categories of Marine Protected Area. Most Marine
Protected Areas combine protection focuses with
the sustainable development of activities. Their
governance most often involves users, elected
representatives and experts, inter alia, in the
management of a classified marine space.
In the Channel, there are a number of Marine
Protected Areas: regional nature reserves, biotope
protection areas, Natura 2000 sites, and RAMSAR
wetlands, as well as Marine Conservation Zones
and Sites of Special Scientific Interest on the
British side.
NETWORK OF NATURE MARINE
PARKS
In 2015, there were seven Nature Marine Parks
in France (five in metropolitan France and two
overseas).
The Parc naturel marin de Mayotte (70,000
km²) was created in 2010. Located in the Indian
Ocean, it is the first overseas Marine Nature
Park. The Park adopted its management plan
at the end of 2012.
NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR
MARINE PROTECTED AREAS
CREATION AND MANAGEMENT
Adopted by the French Ministry for
Sustainable Development in 2012,
the national strategy defines a
long-term vision of the priorities for
Marine Protected Areas creation
and a methodological framework
for their management. It establishes
five key principles for creating
a comprehensive and coherent
marine protected areas network:
> Enhance knowledge ;
Established at the end of 2011, the Parc naturel
marin du golfe du Lion (4,000 km2) is France’s
first Marine Nature Park in the Mediterranean. Its
management plan was adopted in October 2014.
The Parc naturel marin des Glorieuses (43,500
km2), located at the entrance to the Mozambique
Channel and adjacent to that of Mayotte, was
established early in 2012.
The Parc naturel marin des estuaires picards
et de la mer d’Opale (2,300 km 2), the most
northern of France’s Nature Marine Parks, was
created at the end of 2012.
> Contribute to achieving good
environmental status ;
> Sustainably develop
marine activities ;
> Reinforce coherence between
land and sea, and
> Address issues on several
scales, from global to local.
The Parc naturel marin du bassin d’Arcachon
(435 km²) was created in June 2014 in the Atlantic.
The Parks work in a network, pooling skills and
resources via the Agence des Aires Marines
Protégées. This network is growing constantly.
Established in April 2015, also in the Atlantic, the
Parc naturel marin de l’estuaire de la Gironde
et de la mer des Pertuis (6,500 km²) is the latest
to date.
The Parc naturel marin d’Iroise (3,500 km2)
was France’s first Marine Nature Park, located
at the tip of the Finistère. It was established in
2007 and is now fully operational.
Three park projects are currently under study:
one in the Channel, in the Normano-Breton Gulf;
one in the Mediterranean around Cap Corse; and
one in Martinique, in the French West Indies.
MARINE NATURE PARK ESTUAIRES PICARDS ET MER D’OPALE >
21
THE AGENCE DES AIRES
MARINES PROTÉGÉES
The Agence des Aires Marines Protégées
(French Marine Protected Areas Agency) is a
national public organisation dedicated to marine
environment protection, operating under the
authority of the French Ministry for Ecology,
Sustainable Development and Energy.
Its main missions include:
• supporting public policies for the creation
and management of Marine Protected Areas
(MPA),
• coordinating a network of Marine Protected
Areas managers,
• managing the human, technical and financial
resources of Nature Marine Parks or other
Marine Protected Areas for which it is
responsible,
• providing suppor t under regional seas
c o n v e n t i o n s , s u c h a s t h e O S PA R
C o nve n t i o n fo r m a r i n e e nv i r o n m e n t
protection in the North-East Atlantic.
.
Headquar tered in Brest, the Agency is
represented on the three seaboards in
Metropolitan France (Channel – North Sea,
Atlantic, and Mediterranean) and overseas, in
the French West Indies, French Polynesia, New
Caledonia and Mayotte.
22 < MARINE NATURE PARK ESTUAIRES PICARDS ET DE LA MER D’OPALE
THE CHANNEL
NORTH SEA UNIT
Based in Le Havre, the Channel
– North Sea unit carries out
the Agency’s missions on the
scale of the seaboard or in
the marine sub-region: Marine
Strategy Framework Directive,
assignment of Natura 2000
site management, knowledge
acquisition action, cross-border
project coordination (PANACHE,
PEGASEAS, etc.). It provides
expertise and opinions, supports
Marine Protected Areas creation
and management and facilitates
the network.
Photo credits
Agence des aires marines protégées :
Catherine CANOVA-RAMET : 3
Yves GLADU : 6, 19
Xavier HARLAY : 21 (bandeau)
Vincent MMARAN : 17
Magali LOEUILLET : 12 (haut)
Line VIERA : 1, 9, 14, 15, 16, 18
Vincent MARAN : 7, 21 (gauche), 22
Laurent MIGNAUX / MEDDE-MLETR : 4, 8, 9 (bandeau), 10, 12 (bas), 20
Julien Wickel : 21 (droite)
Illustrations :
Tanguy Le Bihan / Dynamo+
Yann SOUCHE / Agence des aires marines protégées
Creation : Dynamo+
Adaptation : Claude Bourdon / Agence des aires marines protégées
Map sources
Summary map of marine activities
Marine traffic separation system: SHOM
Number of vessels per home port: CRPMEM Nord-Pas-de-Calais, 2010
Principal fishing zones: AAMP, 2010. Parc naturel marin des estuaires
picards et de la mer d’Opale – La mer et les hommes. AAMP. 102 p.
Natural sources of shellfish: compilation Directions Départementales
de l’Agriculture et de la Mer 62 and 59 and AAMP, 2014
Mussels concession: AAMP, 2010. Parc naturel marin des estuaires
picards et de la mer d’Opale – La mer et les hommes. AAMP. 102 p.
Plant harvesting: AAMP, 2014
Aggregate industry: Concessions et permis de recherche
concernés par une exploitation de matériaux marins.
IFREMER selon Arrêtés et décrets ministériels, 2011
Shingle extraction: AAMP, 2014
Area selected for the second call for tenders for the offshore
wind farm of Dieppe-Le Tréport: AAMP as per Arrêté
Ministériel of 1 July 2014 NOR: DEVR1415766A
Number of rings/spaces per port: AAMP compilation based
on data from town councils, sailing clubs, CCI of Boulognesur-Mer, 2010. Parc naturel marin des estuaires picards et de
la mer d’Opale – La mer et les hommes. AAMP. 102 p.
Main wrecks visited by recreational fishermen and divers: SHOM, 2010
Area used for water sports and swimming, onshore
fishing: SHOM/IGN, coast line HISTOLITT® V2
High concentration of leisure activities and
major tourist attraction: AAMP, 2014
Marine delimitation: Délimitations indicatives et provisoires de
l’espace maritime français métropolitain (d’après données du
SHOM et de l’IGN pour les limites officielles et des raccords
réalisés par l’Agence des Aires Marines Protégées), July 2008
Departmental limits: IGN, 2009 - GéoFLA®
Hydrography: IGN, BD CARTHAGE®
Bathymetry: SHOM, IFREMER. Modèles Numériques
de Terrain bathymétriques Manche à 100m
Boundaries of the Marine Nature Park: AAMP, 2014. BD AMP
Summary map of nature heritage :
Natural habitat: Hamdi Anouar, Vasquez Mickael, Populus
Jacques (2010). Cartographie des habitats physiques Eunis Côtes de France. Ifremer/AAMP agreement no. 09/12177764/
FY. http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00026/13751/
Hydraulic functioning: AAMP, 2010. Parc naturel marin des estuaires
picards et de la mer d’Opale – La mer et les hommes. AAMP. 102 p.
Spawning ground and/or nursery (sole, plaice, whiting, herring,
shrimp, etc.): AAMP, 2010. Parc naturel marin des estuaires picards
et de la mer d’Opale – La mer et les hommes. AAMP. 102 p.
Remarkable species: AAMP, 2010. Parc naturel marin des estuaires
picards et de la mer d’Opale – La mer et les hommes. AAMP. 102 p
MARINE NATURE PARK ESTUAIRES PICARDS ET MER D’OPALE >
23
44 rue de Folkestone
62200 Boulogne-sur-Mer
FRANCE
+33 3 21 99 15 80
parcmarin.epmo@aires-marines.fr
www.parc-marin-epmo.fr
April 2015
Parc naturel marin des estuaires picards
et de la mer d’Opale