Marine environment and coastal valorisation

A wide scope of intervention

The coastline and its environment are the site of many maritime activities with stakes of economic attractiveness and sustainability, under the influence of anthropic pressures and in connection with regulations. The field of action covers:

• Protection of coastal and marine environments, ecological status and biodiversity.
• New environmental risks related to anthropogenic pollution and its effects.
• Resilience to climate shocks and stresses and flood risk management.
• Management of the coastline and related development issues.
• The enhancement of coastal heritage.
• Management of services related to recreational and cultural uses.

A growing market to meet the challenges

To meet emerging challenges and the objectives of European and national regulation, new market segments are developing, in particular:

• Environmental services, environmental quality monitoring, coastal operational oceanography.
• Marine instrumentation, from the production of sensors, supports, and vectors to data processing.
• Ecological restoration and eco-design tools for the coastal and maritime infrastructure sector.
• Tools to assist in the management of coastal climate risks (submergence, flooding).
• Products and services for the enhancement of the coastline and sustainable coastal tourism, in relation to recreational and cultural uses.

Innovate to monitor, develop, and restore

There are many innovation challenges within this action area, and particularly with regards to biodiversity through the implementation of methods for evaluating the performance of ecological restoration projects and the eco-design of infrastructure. The increasing use of in situ or remote sensors and the management of mass data (Big Data, Artificial Intelligence) open up new opportunities for innovation.

In order to reduce coastal vulnerability and increase resilience to extreme events, innovative methods to plan and manage territories must be developed. One of the challenges of sustainable coastal tourism is the carrying capacity of ecosystems. This concept must be taken into account in the area of action if we are to promote sustainable tourism that guarantees integrated socio-economic development.

Efficient networking

More than 200 academics and industrialists active within the Pôle Mer Méditerranée cluster have a level of global excellence and export their know-how. The presence of institutional partners, including the Rhone-Mediterranean-Corsica Water Agency, the Ministry of the Environment and the French Biodiversity Agency (soon to be the French Office for Biodiversity) reinforce this dynamic.

Among the actions carried out, documents have been co-produced in collaboration with the actors in the field of action and are available on our website.