MEDAM is the sister website of MEDAMP, the observatory of the protection of biodiversity : www.medamp.org
Any quotation or use of elements of this data management system should be mentioned as "MEDAM Université Côte d'Azur CNRS ECOSEAS"

SURFACE AREAS RECLAIMED FROM THE SEA BY REDEVELOPMENT

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The overall surface areas reclaimed from the sea (5 302.67 ha) have been built over (thus becoming terrestrial) or enclosed (bodies of water within harbours, artificial beaches or embanked rivers: environments that have been everlastingly disturbed). They are also very unequally distributed from region to region. The accumulated total surface area of the 1 050 reclamations from the sea amounts for all of the continental French Mediterranean coast (not including Monaco and Berre) to 5 062.08 ha (= PACA without Berre + Languedoc Roussillon),
including :
- 4 002.98 ha for the coast of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (not including Monaco and Berre),
- 1 059.10 ha for the coast of Languedoc Roussillon.
The figure is 240.59 ha for the coast of Corsica.
For Monaco, the total surface area reclaimed from the sea or enclosed amounts to 91.93 ha and for the Etang de Berre to 632.35 ha.
The surface areas reclaimed from the sea by county (département), by urban or rural council (commune) or by ECD water mass are available in the « numerical data ».
The surface area reclaimed from the sea by each redevelopment is given under the heading « reclamations ».
Comments and conclusions are given under the heading « The Record ».

PHOTOS

An image data base has been developed in order to present visually the changes in the coastline at the sites of reclamation redevelopment schemes.

 

1628 photographs are available at this site, with ongoing updating of the image bank. The photographs may be recent or more historical (views of the coast prior to reclamation have been sought). Some are photographs taken from the air others at ground level (sea or land).

 

The images made available are of low resolution. The photographers are cited and may in some cases be contacted by e-mail (list of photographers). Any new photos or similar documents are welcome: contact us to upload them ! (aims, procedure, conditions)

 

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CARTOGRAPHY

Access the cartographical data base to view the contour lines of all the reclamations and the contours of all the bathymetric and administrative limits.

RECLAMATION SCHEMES

Access data on the characteristics, description, year of redevelopment, illustrations and localisation of each reclamation > 100 m².

HISTORICAL RECORD AND PATTERNS OF PROGRESSION

Access the historical record data base: the construction of each structure or part of a structure has been dated. This data provides the basis for showing on bar charts the progression over time of reclamations and their impact on the basis of administrative units (country, region, county ( département), municipal and rural district (commune) or ECD water mass).

THE RECORD

For all French Mediterranean coasts (excluding Monaco and the Etang de Berre) (see ‘details’ for noteworthy regional or more local particularities).


MEDAM Inventory :

Original coastline : 2 062 km (> see details)

Surface area of shallow water bottoms prior to any reclamation (> see details) :

Between 0 and -10 m : 80 723 ha soit 807 km²

Between -10 m and -20 m : 88 046 ha soit 880 km²

Between 0 and -20 m : 168 769 ha soit 1 688 km²
Between -20 and -50 m : 330 030 ha soit 3 300 km²

 

Number of reclamations (>100 m²) : 1 050 (> see details)

 

Coastline ‘artificialised’ by reclamation : 223.02 km (> see details)

Surface areas reclaimed by these redevelopments (> see details) :

Between 0 et -10 m : 4 226.13 ha

Between -10 m et -20 m : 903.70 ha

Between 0 et -20 m : 5 129.83 ha

 

MEDAM Impacts :

Rate of ‘artificialisation’ of coastline (linear) : 12.27 % (> see details)

Rate of irreversible destruction of shallow water bottoms by reclamation (> see details) :

Between 0 et -10 m : 5.24 % 

Between -10 m et -20 m : 1.03 % 

Between 0 et -20 m : 3.04 %

 

Progression :
A step in the right direction: a clear slowing down of reclamation from 1985  (> see details).

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