This Catalog is today threatened by an amendment proposal that would push construction projects.

This is why all Canary Islands gather to protest march, 6th at 12 o'clock on every island.

For more information:

www.benmagec.org

www.nodescatalogacion.blogspot.com

Indeed, as we discussed in previous newsletters, the Seignosse dunes are abandoned since 2000 because of a lack of manager. We had many difficulties in identifying the several key actors.
Finally, it appears recently that the Ministry of Agriculture is the owner of the dunes, but he never told anybody to manage with it. This explains why nothing has been done since 2000 to limit the degradation caused by human pressure on the dune.

However, yesterday, we met with the ONF (the French Organization for Forests) to discuss about the issues and the solutions that could be taken to cope with the problem. They told us they made a formal request with the Minister in order to recover the dunes management. As soon as they will be officially designated as managers, they have assured us they will do everything possible to preserve the dune. A successful outcome seems to stand out, obviously we stay vigilant and will lobby the Minister for a decision as soon as possible.

The dune environment is an amazing area for the natural heritage and landscape it represents.
However, it balance is very fragile, and natural erosion coupled with the pressure exerted by the human traffic generates a significant degradation and a loss of ecological value and landscape of the dune. The lack of manager threatens the environment because the manager uses to be the responsible for establishing arrangements designed to protect space by integrating its environmental sensitivity and human traffic that going on.

Beyond this pressure over the long term, this lack of manager is somehow responsible for some aberrant practices as it has been the case when the Quik pro set up the camp this summer.

The destruction of the dune’s base causes the collapse of the latter with visual and environmental impacts. The reason is simple: It is thank to the vegetal life growing up at the dune’s basement that the dune is stable. Several months may be necessary for this part of the massif to be reconstituted.

Also, after your many solicitations in response to specific degradation of the dune during the summer 2009, we will begin a consultation cycle with relevant users and the relevant actor evolved in the coastal dune preservation (French Organization for Forest, Conservatoire du Littoral, city...).
These meeting will be an opportunity to discuss the various irregularities observed, and to discuss other deep problems across the Aquitaine coast, including the mechanical cleaning impact of the beach and the dune basement.

A first exchange involving event organizers (Eurosima, Surf Federation ...) and hosted by the Conservatoire du Littoral is expected in the coming days.

 Since several years, the associations group called "Save the Clipon" denounces "the great sustainable destruction carnival", and is fighting to preserve the environment and the coastline. A petition is also online on “Dunkerque Pollution” website, to act against the LNG project.

Surfrider has participated actively in all phases of the case. We had the opportunity to be part of the National Commission of Public Debate (CNDP) as an actor, and to be able to put forward arguments against the project. Local chapters and members have also mobilized around a 'Beach Funeral”, a media action to raise awareness and gather public opinion and media around the environmental consequences of such a project.

Through these actions, Surfrider is pleased to note two major advances on the project:
Firstly, a public inquiry was opened on October 7th. Associations and citizens get one month to respond, which is a very short term compare to this length and complexity case. We have already started working on the case to give efficient and quick answer.

Then, one of the councils affected by the terminal has just said no to the project. In fact, during the City Council of Grande-Synthe, both the majority and the opposition unanimously voted against the proposed location of the planned LNG terminal on the Clipon natural area, at the west harbor of Dunkirk.

The mayor told the reasons for the refusal. He said "we must refocus our economic development to the tertiary and not rely solely on heavy industry. We refuse to add risk to the risk with the implantation of fourteenth Seveso sites on the coast.”

This refusal seems to point the beginning of an awareness of the need to preserve the area’s coastline, or at least to preserve what remains ... We hope this decision will be followed by other municipalities affected by the project.

Surfrider will keep taking actions during the public inquiry to try to achieve the abandonment of the project, as we had done in Verdon where the project has been recently declared inadmissible by the Gironde prefect.

Quick reminder : Since 2003, the municipality of Brétignolles-sur-mer plans  the creation of a marina on the bed of the brook of “ la Normandelière”. Local associations “La vigie”, “CPNS”, “la Ligue Nationale pour la Protection des Oiseaux”, “France Nature Environnement”, are mobilized to inform the population on the impacts of this project.

Numerous aspects of the project seem disturbing because of their impacts on the environment.

The installation of semi immersed reefs will modify the currents, the seabed and could threaten some surfspots of the coast as well as the aquatic environment living in this area.

Surfrider Foundation deeply suggests to all the persons concerned by this project to come August the 16th, so that the marina won’t be realized!! Join us!!

The oil spill is a major environmental disaster. Sea birds and marine life in the area have already been devastated. The oil is not contained and is beginning to invade the Swedish coast including the new Koster Marine National Park (Sweden’s west coast), officially opened since September…not such a good start for this unique protected marine area of its kind.

The storm that shipwrecked the tanker was huge. Winds around 30m/s created constant waves of 5 meters, one weather station recorded a 9 meter wave!
According to testimonies, two surfers tried to paddle out because the surf was pumping but quickly came back covered in brown oil sludge. Very upset to see their spot in this condition, they decided to actively pitch in for the cleaning of the oil layers that reached the beach.
The captain of the tanker, of chinese nationality, has been arrested by the Norwegian police.

Surfrider is looking into how the drum ended up on the beach and will let you know of any further information.

Regrettably, this event confirms the presence of toxic waste in the ocean. How can we continue to not consider the macro-waste as pollution? To remedy this problem, sign the petition on the macro-waste!!

The beach of Capocotta in Italy (near Rome) is in the lead for the time being. The final results will be announced on July 15^th for a clean-up which will take place on July 23^rd

Surfrider’s “Ocean Initiatives” and Corona’s “Save the Beach” initiative meet the same aim: to increase public awareness on macro-waste pollution threatening the beaches’ natural beauty.

For their first common action, Surfrider and Corona are inviting everyone to participate in the saving of one polluted beach. Members of Surfrider and Corona will supervise the whole operation by providing many fun educational tools to make this moment a great experience for all: kids, families*…anyone who wants to get involved!

To commit further in the environmental preservation, Corona has also decided to support Surfrider’s environmental program called Keepers of the Coast, by financing one of the endangered beaches’ cases by the end of 2010.

As soon as the results of the votes will be officially announced, you will find all the information on the selected beach on the Ocean Initiatives website

* Erratum: the clean-up is forbidden to persons under 18

Since March 2007 Surfrider has supported the action group called « le peuple des dunes », against the project of sand extraction off the coast of Gâvres. This project caused bad consequences on the seafloor and on the dunes. We rejoice with the end of the cement manufacturer’s exploitation Lafarge.

The maritime prefect of the Atlantic rejected the idea of sand extraction between the towns of Gavres and Quiberon. This decision, taken the 2^nd of July was motivated by the results of a study made by an independent practice on the military area of Gâvres. The presence of ammunitions on the sandy floor, put in light by the practice, makes the zone inappropriate to the exploitation.

The project led by Lafarge which was  about an extraction of sea sand  for 18 millions of tonnes on 30 years (600 000 tonnes per year) obtained on may 2005, from the department of industry an authorization of research on a area which is set very far from the coast (more than 3000km).

The eventuality of exploitation in this coastal area sparked off protestations and caused the creation of an action group, “Le people des dunes” which gathers 140 associations and several elected representatives. In March 2005, an unforgettable demonstration, organized by a collective on the Erdeven Beach, gathered around 15000 people!

We stay vigilant and we are waiting for the concrete consequences of this decision. Surfrider is playing its role of lobbying, especially thanks to its role in the Grenelle de La Mer.

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Firefighters are at there at the scene in an effort to control the pollution. 

At the moment, there is little information available about the pollution but we will keep you informed of the happenings.