Mooring on Posidonia meadows: examples of

management measures in the French

Mediterranean SeaAnchors away ! - 21 November 2019

Villers Frédéric – AFB

Law protection Details

Ministry decree -18 July 1988 It is forbidden to destroy,

spread, sell, buy Posidonia

Oceanica

Habitats Directive

1992

(DHFF: 92/43/CEE)

Annex 1 : Priority habitats

Berne Convention

19 September 1979

Annex 1

Barcelona Convention

1976 – reviewed 1995

Annex 2

Posidonia meadows protection in France

=> dead mat also protected

REINFORCEMENT OF

REGULATIONS

2008 Marine Strategy Framework Directive

Actions defined in the programme 2016 – 2021 : Elaboration and

reinforcement of mooring management strategy.

Objectives for the cycle 2019 – 2025 : avoid the physical disturbance of

Posidonia Oceanica (and others) from mooring (and diving, …)

pressures.

Target 2026 : no authorisation for non-environmentally friendly

mooring projects

Compulsory by law for all projects since October 2019

Mediterranean mooring management strategy

2009 : leisure boating mooring management strategy

2019 : focus on large vessels (> 24 m) and priority action sectors

6 important principles

The Mediterranean sea is a shared heritage

Leisure boating must respect the environmental and landscape

quality of sites

The development of leisure boating requires to take into account

other activities (fisheries, diving, …)

Mooring must remain a temporary and seasonal practice

Mooring cannot respond to the lack of space in harbours

Leisure boaters must be aware of environment and other users

Reinforcement of the French regulations

locally forbidden

to moor under 30 m

focus on vessels > 45 – 80 m

preferential mooring sectors defined

forbidden

to moor in

french marine protected species

local compulsory /

forbidden sector defined

PREMAR Decree

123 / 2019

local PREMAR Decree in

specific sectors =

PREMAR Decree

155 / 2016

PREMAR decree :

local application

issued by summer 2020…

Examples of local regulations

➔ In some MPAs, anchoring banned under 30 m depth for

vessels > 20 m

Cap Martin : decree 033/2019

Channel navigations

• obligation de pilotage

Pilot stations

Examples of local regulations

TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS

,

Ecological mooring systems

• Existing areas for small leisure boats. One advanced project

for yachting in Ramatuelle

Ecological mooring area in France

Ecological mooring challenges

ecologicalmooring area

technical issues

control

cost / benefit

environment/

Landscape

responsibilitycommunication

administrative procedure

=> Practical guide for French Mediterranean sea due January 2020

??

• technical issues : importance of geotechnical studies to know the

substrate under the Posidonia Meadows.

• cost / benefit issues :

• investment can be subsidied by public policies. Management fees

more complicated.

• insurance : no point to size an anchor to Beaufort 7 and wave 3 m if

there is no approval with insurance companies.

• preventing report effects : importance to have a sailing basin

approach. Issue for yachting.

• environment and landscape : the number of buoys cannot be the

number at the peak of the season. Importance to have a step by step

approach.

First results

Dynamic position (DP) Ecological anchors ???

?Impact for environment and safety ?

Other solutions ?

RAISING AWARENESS

OF IMPACTS AND SOLUTIONS

Importance of Marine Protected Areas

Governance with

local stakeholders

Awareness actions :

education, good practice

charts, …

Set up ecological

anchoring systems

➔ covers 84 % of the French Med coast (N2000 Sites, national parks, etc.)

Importance of the MPAs network

• Capacity building meetings, …

DONIA Application

• Developed by Andromède Océanologie and AERM&C

• Gives the position of marine habitats

• More than 5000 users

=> www.donia.fr

Awareness tools

campaign « Ecogestes » (part of the MSFD Action Plan)

Awareness tools

bloc marine (L < 24 m) yachting pages

Yachting issue

Importance to work with the yachting community, local stakeholders and marine protected areas

ex : Save the seagrass posidonia - Yachting on the French Riviera (AFB / Longue Vue)

http://www.aires-marines.fr/Actualites/SOS-posidonie-dans-l-Aire-marine-45

Type of management measures

How to protectPosidonia

Oceanica fromanchors

Accelerate the implementation

of ecologicalmooring

Raising awareness

Reinforcementof the

regulations

Leisureboaters

Harbours Local stakeholders

Yachtingcommunity

Local Authorities

…

French Mediterranean sea

• Posidonia Meadows : ≈ 85 000 Ha

• Leisure boating pressures :

• < 24 m

• > 24 m up to 160 m

=> Impact up to 1500 m2 abrasion for a 50 m vessel

Economic value : between 284 €/ ha / yr and 513 € / ha / yr(Campagne et al. 2015)

21,2 - 43,9 million euros per year

HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST TO PROTECT IT ?

concentration of yachts > 24 m

References and credits

• https://www.premar-mediterranee.gouv.fr

• http://www.amp.afbiodiversite.fr/accueil_fr

• www.afbiodiversite.fr

• http://www.dirm.mediterranee.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/programme-de-mesures-r161.html

• www.medtrix.fr

• www.donia.fr

• http://ecogestes.com/

• http://www.dirm.mediterranee.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/mouillages-grande-plaisance-mooring-yatching-r412.html

Photo credits :

• Sandrine Ruitton, M I O

• Andromède Océanologie, AERM&C

• AFB

• Communauté de communes du Golfe de Saint Tropez

• Ville de Cap d’Agde

• Ville de Cannes

• Communauté d’agglomération de la riviera française

• PREMAR Med

• CPIE

• perfect mooring

• iboats.com

• infoclimat

Thanks !frederic.villers@afbiodiversite.fr