Banyuls-Cerbère marine national park to be extended
Our Présidente du Département des Pyrénées-Orientales, Hermeline Malherbe, is also the Vice-President of the Parc natural marin du Golfe du Lion, on the southern part of our Côte Vermeille coastline. She was therefore perfectly placed to announce the extension of the national reserve’s perimeter, effectively doubling the protected surface area.
Accompanied by other local dignitaries and researchers, Mme. Malherbe stated the project is a response to the “urgent need to halt the loss of terrestrial and marine biodiversity, which is considered irreversible if nothing is done by 2030”.
The project is a collaboration between regional representatives, oceanographers from the Observatoire océanologique de Banyuls-sur-Mer, marine experts from the Université de Perpignan Via Domitia and local citizens, to ensure that the new boundaries are properly addressing the issues at stake. Over the past 17 months, a collaborative online platform has brought together the opinions of divers, fishermen, boat & kayak hire companies, environment associations and more!
Now comes the task of defining the new perimeter!
Current natural reserve
Created in 1974, the Réserve Naturelle Marine de Cerbère-Banyuls currently covers 650 hectares of coastline between Banyuls sur Mer and Cerbère, of which 65 hectares are under reinforced protection.
It’s a veritable open-air laboratory that has won multiple awards for its scientific monitoring, including the International Union for Conservation of Nature‘s Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas.
Regardless of your marine biology credentials, you can usually visit the national park by land or by sea. For summer 2023 however, and until further notice, the southern section of the sentier littoral coastal walk that passes the park are closed due to the April fires. You can however enjoy a snorkel at the sentier sous marin.
For more info
Follow the Parc naturel marin du Golfe du Lion on Facebook.
