FARNET
Fisheries Areas Network

Cooperation Idea

European cooperation on actions for the preservation of water quality

The Intercommunal Syndicate of Arcachon Bay (SIBA) is looking for FLAGs from across the European Union in a variety of areas, including bays, lagoons andr gulf ecosystems, for exchanging good practices on water quality preservation. SIBA brings together the 12 municipalities around the Arcachon Bay. SIBA was created in the 1960s to respond to the growing concern of local actors for the preservation of water quality. It is in charge of the management of wastewater, aiming to prevent discharge of pollutants into the lagoon.

The Arcachon Bay is a semi-enclosed lagoon located in the Gironde département in southwest France. It has many natural marine treasures, both in terms of species and remarkable habitats (such as eelgrass beds, delta, ocean front and salt meadows). It is also a site of community importance for migratory birds.  The local economy is historically linked to fishing, shellfish farming and the paper industry, but nowadays, tourism is becoming the main activity.

SIBA is responsible for many tasks related to preserving Arcachon Bay, such as the management of urban rainwater and promoting sustainable tourism.  The final goal is to make the area more resilient and able to adapt to the new challenges, like the increase of urbanisation around the Bay, and more frequent floods caused by climate change.

Additionally, SIBA has set up a water quality monitoring network called REMPAR to measure micro-pollutant, macro-pollutant and micro-organism footprints in wastewater, stormwater, fresh water and marine water. The REMPAR network aims to create a link between the different actors in the area linked to water quality in order to find out which public investments would improve water quality and allow activities to be adapted to the Bay. This tool is a collaborative approach to water quality management focusing on stakeholder involvement, and the SIBA wants to find similar initiatives in Europe.

Our cooperation objectives:

SIBA would like to:

  • Engage with local/regional agencies in charge of water quality management
  • Exchange good practices, share lessons and answer common questions
  • Set the baseline for a formal cooperation across European bays on the topic of water quality management

Our first objectives:

  • Identify partners in bay ecosystems
  • Engage in bilateral exchanges over the summer
  • Organise a virtual kickoff meeting in September
  • Organise a physical event in 2022 with selected partners

PDF icon Cooperation idea

Information

Country
Preferred countries
Theme
Sea Basins
Type of area
Cooperation status
Active

Contact details

FLAG Contacts

Ms. Aline Delamare
+33 5 57 73 08 49
France
Publication date: 
10/06/2021
PDF Version