Below is a translation of the letter being sent by the President of the DDME to 100 elected officials, decision-making authorities, associations...
Subject: Please let us know your position concerning the industrial wind turbine project along the right bank of the Gironde Estuary
Dear
Mr. (or Ms.)___,
The
various initiatives that France has undertaken to ensure its transition énergétique should simultaneously
be committed to safeguarding the country’s biodiversity and environment; they
should coexist in harmony with the great challenges facing our planet in
combating global warming.
Whereas
France’s engagement to its transition
énergétique is necessary if we are to slow global warming , protect the
planet and respect numerous European directives aimed at preserving its
biodiversity, marshlands and exceptional landscapes, a project underway by
EDF-R to install up to forty industrial
wind turbines, 180 metres tall, along the right bank of the Gironde Estuary –
exactly in the middle of one of the main bird migratory routes of Europe – is
showing itself to be a monumental misjudgement considering the region’s rich biodiversity,
fragile environment and extraordinary landscape that has, until now, remain
unspoiled.
Any
official or organisation responsible for defending our region’s biodiversity
cannot but understand that such a project should never move forward in such a
context: the right bank of the Gironde Estuary has for many years been
classified a Natura 2000 area, in particular a Special Protection Area (SPA,
ZPS in French) since 2004. Before integrating the Natura 2000 network, it was
already recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA, ZICO in French) under the
European Directive N° 79-409/CEE (‘Birds Directive’), ratified by
France in 1979. The right bank of the Gironde Estuary is also protected by
France’s Loi Littoral, enacted to protect the country’s coastline.
The
attached documents detail different aspects of our unique region: its
importance in safeguarding certain endangered bird species such as the Aquatic
Warbler, its exceptional character as a Natura 2000 zone composed of fragile
marshlands, as well as its recognition as a remarkable landscape, in conformity
with the European Landscape Convention of the Council of Europe.
Please
note that, to date, the following organisations and elected officials have
expressed their opposition to EDF-R’s project to install industrial wind turbines
along the Gironde Estuary:
– The Nouvelle Aquitaine
Regional Council
– The
President of the Charente-Maritime Departmental Council
– The
Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux (LPO, the French partner of BirdLife
International)
– The
Bordeaux Wine Council (CIVB)
– The Wine
Council for the Grand Crus Classés of 1855
– The
Conservatory of the Gironde Estuary
– The
mayors of the different townships concerned, as well as numerous mayors of the
Medoc
– The
region’s elected deputies to the National Assembly
As
you can see, Mr. X (or Ms. X), we are faced
with an alarming situation where action is urgently needed. We cannot stand idly
by and watch as havoc is wreaked on the estuary’s biodiversity, as its
beautiful landscape is irreversibly destroyed, its soil forever decimated by
the thousands of tonnes of reinforced concrete needed to secure each turbine
(1,000 – 1,500 tonnes of concrete and 80 tonnes of metal per turbine), as well
as the additional infrastructure required (e.g., kilometres of underground
cables), not to mention the significant negative impact on regional tourism and
the health of those living here.
We
cannot allow the natural yet fragile harmony of the estuary’s marshlands, one
that has taken centuries to establish and which has become a nourishing habitat
for so many animal species, be threatened by this dangerous project.
Given
the seriousness and urgency at hand, we respectfully ask that you let us know
your position regarding EDF-R’s industrial wind turbine project along the right
bank of the Gironde Estuary, and what steps you plan on taking in this matter.
On
behalf of the 350 members of our association, I extend my sincere appreciation
for the attention you have given us, and assure you, Mr
X (or Ms. X), of our profound respect for the responsibilities you
shoulder.
Guillaume Boraud
President of the Défense
des Marais de L’Estuaire (DDME)
Enclosures:
1. Biodiversité /
Avifaune
2. Paysage remarquable
_____________________________________________
Readers of our blog can access the annexes
attached to the letter, as well as the dossier, ‘Enjeux avifaunistiques’:
Annexe ‘Biodiversité / Avifaune’, click HERE
Annexe ‘Paysage remarquable’, click HERE
The
dossier ‘Enjeux avifaunistiques’ includes letters from :
– Mr. Raphaël Musseau, ecological researcher
and engineer, Biosphère Environnement, and instructor at the Université
Jean-Monnet-Saint-Etienne
– Mr. Christophe Barbraud, ecological biologist and director at the
National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)
– Ms. Christine Blaize, ecologist and coordinator of the Aquatic Warbler
National Action Plan at the Ministère de la Transition écologique et solidaire
– Dr. Martin Flade, Chairman of the BirdLife International Aquatic
Warbler Conservation Team (AWCT)
To access the dossier ‘Enjeux avifaunistiques’, click HERE
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