Les milieux naturels protégés suivant la distance à la mer

• In 2017, 38.3% of territories located less than 500 m from the coast are covered by at least one protection. This share decreases rapidly as you move away from the coast. It is only 14.9% between 5,000 and 10,000 m from the coast, 2.6 times less than at the shoreline, where many natural habitats concentrate at the interface between land and sea.

• Natura 2000 sites (Habitats, Fauna and Flora Directive and Birds Directive) are the most represented protected areas. Those designated under the Habitats Directive cover 33.1% of lands located less than 500 m from the coast. Their coverage rate decreases significantly as you move away from the sea. Special Protection Zones (Birds Directive) are less numerous in the immediate vicinity of the sea. They cover 16.3% of territories less than 500 m from the coast. However, their coverage rate decreases more slowly as you move away from the sea.

• The Coastal Conservancy has acquired 9.0% of territories located less than 500 m from the coast. This share decreases significantly as you move inland, as this organization's intervention is primarily focused on spaces near the shoreline. • National, regional, and Corsican nature reserves cover 1.6% of the 0–500 m band and 0.9% of the band between 5,000 and 10,000 m. National parks (core area and membership area) cover 3.2% of lands at the shoreline and 1.1% between 5,000 and 10,000 m from the coast, with the two coastal national parks located in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (Paca).

• The Mediterranean coast has the highest protection levels for strong protections (nature reserves, Coastal Conservancy sites, biotope protection orders, and national park core areas) both at the shoreline and inland. The North Atlantic–Western Channel coast is in the opposite situation with the lowest protection levels of the four maritime coasts for strong protections. • Share of metropolitan territory protected, by protection type, according to distance from the sea

• Taking into account all protection statuses studied in this fact sheet, there is a clear decrease in the share of protected territory as you move away from the sea. Protected areas are very prevalent in the immediate vicinity of the coast, with more than one-third of territories less than 500 m from the coast, 38.3%, benefiting from at least one protection. This is two percentage points higher than in 2013. Between 5,000 and 10,000 m, this share is 14.9%, 2.6 times less than at the shoreline. There is therefore a strong specificity of protections in the immediate vicinity of the coast. • Share of protected territory, by protection type, based on distance from the sea, in 2017

• Sites designated under the Habitats Directive, Sites of Community Interest (SIC) and Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), cover 33.1% of territories less than 500 m from the coast. This coverage rate decreases fairly clearly as you move away from the sea. Sites are proportionally 2.5 times smaller between 5,000 and 10,000 m from the sea. The designation of these sites may be linked to the presence of habitats of European interest, themselves strongly linked to the immediate vicinity of the sea: coastal wetlands, heathlands, grasslands (see thematic fact sheet on land use according to distance from the sea). • As the graph shows, the decrease in Special Protection Zones (SPA, Birds component of the Natura 2000 network) as you move away from the coast is less marked. They cover 16.3% of lands less than 500 m from the coast and 9.5% between 5,000 and 10,000 m.

• 9% of the 0–500 m band from the coast belongs to the Coastal Conservancy. The share of territories protected by this organization decreases rapidly as you move away from the shoreline. It is only 1.1% between 5,000 and 10,000 m, 8 times less than at the shoreline. • Just over 3% of lands less than 500 m from the coast are covered by a national park (core/membership area) compared to approximately 10 times less between 5,000 and 10,000 m. All these territories are located in the Paca region, with two parks at the shoreline: the Calanques and Port-Cros national parks and the Mercantour national park in the inland Alps-Maritimes.

• The share of territory designated as national, regional, or Corsican nature reserves also decreases based on distance from the sea. It is 1.6% less than 500 m from the coast and 0.9% between 5,000 and 10,000 m. • Finally, biotope protection orders (BPO) are few in number at the shoreline. Their share in protected territories is low regardless of distance from the sea.

• The share of territories benefiting from at least one protection is higher at the shoreline than between 5,000 and 10,000 m from the coast on all four maritime coasts. • Share of protected territory by coast based on distance from the sea, in 2017 • The further south you go, the smaller the difference between shoreline and inland areas. Thus the share of protected territories is 6.5 times higher less than 500 m from the coasts than between 5,000 and 10,000 m in the Eastern Channel–North Sea. This ratio is 3.6 in North Atlantic–Western Channel, 2.0 in South Atlantic, and 1.9 in the Mediterranean. • Protection levels are also higher in the Mediterranean and South Atlantic regardless of distance from the sea. They are low more than 2,000 m from the coast in the Eastern Channel–North Sea.

• In the immediate vicinity of the sea, it is on the Eastern Channel–North Sea coast that nature reserves cover the largest share of territory, followed by the South Atlantic coast. Protection levels there decrease rapidly as you move away from the shoreline. Less than 500 m from the coast, protection levels are high from Pas-de-Calais to Seine-Maritime (Seine estuary reserve). • In the Mediterranean, the profile differs from other coasts. Protection levels increase after 2,000 m from the coast. This is explained by the presence of significant inland reserves in Bouches-du-Rhône: Camargue and Crau. • Finally, protection levels are low in North Atlantic–Western Channel, regardless of distance from the sea. • Share of maritime coasts protected as nature reserves, based on distance from the sea, in 2017

• The highest protection levels are located on the Mediterranean coast, where nearly 15% of territories less than 500 m from the sea are protected. As you move away from the coast, protection levels remain relatively high due, among other reasons, to the Conservancy's intervention in Camargue for acquiring Midi salt works sites. • In the Eastern Channel–North Sea, the protection level is high at the shoreline. 12% of lands are protected by the Conservancy with high shares of protected territory in Pas-de-Calais, Somme, and Manche departments. • On the two other coasts, Conservancy lands are primarily located 0 to 2,000 m from the coast. • Share of maritime coasts protected by Coastal Conservancy, based on distance from the sea, in 2017

• For all four maritime coasts, the share of territories designated as SIC or SAC decreases based on distance from the sea. • The highest protection rates are located on the South Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts, where protection levels are similar. • Protection decrease is steep on the Eastern Channel–North Sea coast. Surfaces covered by SIC and SAC are proportionally 6 times smaller between 5,000 and 10,000 m than less than 500 m from the shores. Site designation is strongly linked to natural shoreline habitats. This decrease is significantly less marked on the three other coasts. • Less than 500 m from the coasts, SIC and SAC cover more than half the territory in Somme, on the short estuarine coast of Eure, in Gironde, Aude, Gard, and Bouches-du-Rhône. The lowest rates are found in Nord, Calvados, and Alpes-Maritimes. • Share of maritime coasts designated as SIC or SAC, based on distance from the sea, in 2017

The decrease in protection rate based on distance from the sea is less marked for SPA than for SIC and SAC on all four maritime coasts. This is explained by the presence of significant inland marshes designated as SPA on different coasts: Camargue, Languedoc lagoons, Atlantic marshes, Seine estuary...

• Territories with the highest protection rates less than 500 m from the coast are located in southern France, from Vendée to Gironde, and from Pyrénées-Orientales to Var. The lowest levels are concentrated in Hauts-de-France, Brittany, southern Nouvelle-Aquitaine, and Alpes-Maritimes. • Share of maritime coasts designated as SPA, based on distance from the sea, in 2017

• Protection levels were analyzed by maritime coast less than 500 m from the coast (shoreline) and between 5,000 and 10,000 m (inland). Protections were grouped into two types: strong protections (nature reserves, biotope protection orders, Coastal Conservancy sites, national park core areas) and Natura 2000 sites. • To facilitate understanding of figure 7, the 4 coasts were classified according to protection level: 4 is the highest level and 1 is the lowest level, regardless of the share of territory affected by the studied protection.

• The Mediterranean coast is characterized by the highest protection levels for strong protections, both at the shoreline and inland. Conversely, the North Atlantic–Western Channel coast has the lowest protection rates of the four coasts on both studied territories. • Classification of coasts by protection levels at the shoreline and inland

• The Eastern Channel–North Sea coast has the lowest Natura 2000 network coverage less than 500 m from the coast and between 5,000 and 10,000 m, while strong protections are fairly significant at the shoreline. • For the South Atlantic coast, the Natura 2000 network is significant both at the shoreline (1st coast) and inland (2nd coast behind the Mediterranean coast).

• > Methodology • Beyond the protection of animal and plant species through legislation across the entire national territory, many types of tools exist to protect specific elements of fauna, flora, and natural habitats at particular locations: protected areas. They are of three kinds: regulatory, land-based, and contractual protections. Each protection status has specific objectives, constraints, and management methods. • For this fact sheet, the following protections are taken into account: Regulatory protection by decree or order: national parks, national, regional, and Corsican nature reserves and biotope protection orders (BPO); • Land-based protection: land acquired by the Coastal Conservancy (CdL); • Contractual protection: Special Protection Zones (SPA) designated under the Birds Directive and Sites of Community Interest (SIC) and Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) of the Habitats-Fauna-Flora Directive. SPA, SIC, and SAC constitute the Natura 2000 network. • These protection statuses are not mutually exclusive. The same territory can be subject to multiple protections. • This fact sheet does not cover all existing protections. This applies to lands acquired by regional councils (sensitive natural areas), remarkable spaces defined under the Coastal Act, information on these spaces not being available at the national level. Registered and classified sites, regional natural parks, biological reserves, lands of natural area conservancies, as well as international designations (Ramsar, Biosphere Reserve) and protections implemented at sea are also not included. • These protections are studied based on distance from the sea. Several buffer zones are defined: 0 to 500 m from the coast, 500 to 1,000 m, 1,000 to 2,000 m, 2,000 to 5,000 m, 5,000 to 10,000 m.

Author: Data and Statistical Studies Service (SDES).