Une approche alternative de la gestion des risques côtiers, l’exemple de la petite Camargue

• Main Authors: Hugues Heurtefeux, Stéphanie Grosset, Pierre-Yves Valantin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Université Lille 1 2008-03-01
• Series: Territoire en Mouvement
• Subjects: dune; flood risk; hard stabilization; strategic retreat
• Online Access: http://journals.openedition.org/tem/491

The « petite Camargue » coast is located between the Espiguette sandy spit -Port Camargue- on the west, and the -Rhône vif- on the East. It is a strip of 11 km of sandy beaches, a real mosaic of meadows (Sand dunes with Juniperus phoenica, Mediterranean salt steppes ...).However, on this listed site, the part of artificialized coastal areas has increased from 0% in 1960 to almost 50% in 1990 (46 groynes have been erected, each spaced 100 m, on the oriental coast), this was a decision guided by the proximity of Le Grau du Roi town and flood risks.As a matter of fact these structures are expensive to upkeep as well as ineffective in the “Petite Camargue” context and this leads us to question the relevance of their maintenance. This questioning stems from policies of integrated coastal zone management, and adaptive coastal protection (strategic retreats or making space for water).This process is implemented at territorial level and is meant to leave a proper place for alternative solutions.