5.4.3 Golfe Normand-Breton: Governance Arrangements

In the framework of the proposed marine nature park for the area, a consultation process has been launched in 2011, led by a local team of the French agency for marine protected areas (Agence des Aires Marines Protégées).

There are many governance structures (Marine Protected Areas, water management, etc.) in the area but no overall governance structure at the scale of the Gulf Normand Breton.

This process also had the goal to:

• acquire more knowledge on the socio ecological system of the area
• construct with local stakeholders and representatives of the area the basis for a marine park (with a ‘common culture’ and agreed socio-ecological issues for action).

Currently the marine park has not been created and this will depend on the decision of French Minister for the Environmental. This decision will trigger the development of a management plan agreed by a steering committee that will be composed of the stakeholders involved in the consultation process.

In this situation, the VALMER project presented an opportunity to engage potential future members of the steering committee in thinking in terms of functionalities and ecosystems services, creating a common culture and comprehension of the Ecosytem Services Approach.