Name:
Plan Littoral 21
Developed by:
France
Country(ies) involved:
France
Funding sources:
Regional Council Occitanie
General idea:
The Occitanie Region, in collaboration with the French State and the Caisse des dépôts et consignation (CDC), has developed the Plan Littoral 21 whose aim is to support the modernisation and the balanced development of Mediterranean coastal areas to make the Occitanie coastline a French showcase in terms of ecological resilience, innovation and cohesion
Description:
Three main challenges have to be addressed by the Plan Littoral 21: make Occitanie an example of ecological resilience, make the Occitanie maritime economy innovative all over the territory and be a symbol of attractiveness, welcome and living together. This plan is a driver for innovation and wishes to develop ambitious projects implemented mainly by public authorities in Occitanie. In 2017, Plan Littoral 21 invested 246 million euros.
Blue biotechnologies are included in the regional plan, mainly with the objective to support breakthrough innovation development. The ambitions of the Littoral 21 Plan for the decade (2017-2027) are formalized in a framework agreement signed in March 2017. For the French government, a dedicated budget is allocated to the Coastal 21 Plan, which translates into a commitment of €80 million in state funding for the period 2017-2027, of which €70 million is formalized in the 2021-2027 State-Region Planning Contract. The ambition of the Littoral 21 Plan is to support the transformation of the Occitanie coastline towards a balanced development model, by reconciling the following three challenges:
Ecological resilience
The Occitanie coastline, characterized by a succession of lagoons, separated from the sea by sandbars (the lidos), is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change: the risks of marine submersion and coastal erosion affect 23% of the Occitanie coastline.
The Littoral 21 Plan supports territories in their projects:
– adaptation to coastal risks, including nature-based solutions (restoration of dune systems),
– development of soft mobility (cycle paths, coastal trails, etc.),
– preservation of biodiversity (fight against invasive alien species),
– resource management.
The blue economy
With 70 marinas (35 seaports with 30,000 berths and 35 river ports), 3 commercial ports, 5 fishing ports and 20 seaside resorts, the Occitanie coastline has undeniable assets.
The Coastal Plan 21 supports the development of economic sectors on the coast:
– fishing and shellfish farming,
– sustainable tourism, through a call for projects Tourism, Sea and Coast 2021-2022
– nautical industries,
– water sports,
Territorial cohesion
Despite the economic dynamism of the coastline, the four coastal departments concentrate high rates of unemployment (over 17% in some coastal departments) and poverty (up to 20%).
The Littoral 21 Plan contributes to the financing of structuring operations to improve the attractiveness of the territories:
– modernization and greening of marinas,
– requalification of seaside resorts, in particular the seafronts,
– renovation of the housing supply,
– enhancement of maritime heritage, in particular the restoration of lighthouses.