Sand Dredging: Let’s Save Brittany’s Shores, France

dredger
Onboard a sand dredger.
“Sand is the second most consumed natural resource, after water. The construction-building industry is by far the largest consumer of this finite resource. The traditional building of one average-sized house requires 200 tons of sand; a hospital requires 3,000 tons of sand; each kilometer of highway built requires 30,000 tons of sand… A nuclear plant, a staggering 12 million tons of sand…” Captions and Photograph by Award-winning Filmmaker: ©2013 Denis Delestrac

Extraction de sable: Sauvons les Côtes Bretonnes! By Avaaz
“Les côtes bretonnes sont en danger. Un énorme projet industriel est sur le point de ravager le fond de la mer pour en extraire des centaines de mètres cubes de sable. C’est un désastre écologique qui se prépare, mais nous pouvons nous faire entendre: le préfet n’a pas encore donné son autorisation.

Le ministre de l’Économie, conscient des risques, a promis des garanties. Mais ces promesses pourraient bien rester lettre morte: elles ne figurent pas dans le décret qu’il vient de signer. Désormais, seule une mobilisation citoyenne de grande ampleur peut convaincre le préfet de prendre en compte les promesses ministérielles.

Signez la pétition pour rappeler que la beauté des côtes bretonnes et leur biodiversité appartiennent à tous les Français, et pour que l’arrêté préfectoral offre toutes les garanties de protection de ce patrimoine commun.”

Translation:
Brittany’s shores are in peril. A large-scale offshore sand dredging project, where hundreds of m3 of sand are going to be extracted, is about to become a devastating reality. This is an environmental catastrophe in the making, but it is not too late and our voices can still be heard: the executive order has not yet been authorized by the local authority.

The Ministry of Economy, aware of the environmental risks, offered some garantees. However, these guarantees are likely to go unheeded as they are not mentioned as legal provisions in the previously signed decree. Only a large-scale citizen mobilization and rally can convince the local executive to close this loophole.

Brittany’s beautiful and pristine coastal environment and marine ecosystem must be preserved for our common good!

Please, join us and sign in the Petition: Sand Dredging: Let’s Save Brittany’s Shores!

Original Article, AVAAZ

Decree Granting Sand Mining Concession Has Been Signed – Environmentalist Group Will Appeal, AFP (09-19-2015)
The decree granting concession of shell sand in Bay of Lannion, Brittany, to CAN Industry, was signed Monday and published this Wednesday. The environmental group “Peuple Des Dunes” intends to appeal and file an action before the administrative court…

En Bretagne, Le “Peuple des Dunes” Défend Son Sable, Le Monde (02-14-2013)

Emmanuel Macron. Des garanties sur l’extraction de sable à Lannion, Ouest France (08-06-2015)

L’extraction de sable sera possible, mais limitée, à Lannion;
Le Monde (14-04-2015)

Sand-Wars / Le Sable: Enquête sur une Disparition: Film Documentaire de Denis Delestrac (24-05-2014)

Latest Posts + Popular Topics