Conservation strategies for French coastal areas

Abstract

1. The French Metropolitan coastal areas—over 5500 km long—are zones of conflict in terms of interest and use between the environmental conservationists and the planners. The French coasts are distinguished by a wide diversity of habitats and a great disparity in planning from the highly urbanized Mediterranean coasts of Provence to the natural coasts of the Landes (Atlantic) with 260 km beaches. 2. The inventories policy, led for more than 20 years by the Natural Heritage Service (NMNH) with the Ministry of the Environment, helps to identify and describe the national natural heritage richness of important undeveloped coastal areas. At the same time, several laws and decrees have been adopted in France to protect the more sensitive sites and species. The Conservancy of Coastal Areas and Lacustrine Shores (CELRL), created in 1975, purchases natural coastal areas and, with its policy, has saved 10% of the coastal areas. The Law on Coastal Areas (1986) provides the means to protect the important natural areas. The Wetland Action Plan, implemented in 1995, is a supplement to the various rules and legal measures to ensure the protection of the French metropolitan and overseas departments coastal areas. 3. However, the application of this legislation takes a long time due to numerous administrative levels and municipality units responsible for their implementation. ©1996 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.