Biodiversity: the port of Le Havre is involved but can (still) do better

Published: September 27, 2022 at 07:08

Reading time:
3 min

The port area of ​​Le Havre extends over 10,000 hectares, of which 2,500 are occupied by natural areas. A quarter of the port is therefore protected. A fact that is not known to the public. It is indeed difficult, when looking at the port, from the top of the Normandy bridge, to imagine the environmental dimension of the site.

“No new port project can be foreseen today without an environmental component”, says Natacha Massu, head of the environment department at Haropa port. It is made up of eight people who work daily to promote, among other things, the “biodiversity” approach. Put simply, for twenty years state services have required the port and industrialists to reduce or offset the impact of pollution generated by the recreation of natural areas. Example: in the cat flap project (which provides for direct access by river barges to container terminals), areas favorable to the growth of fish will be set up. “The construction site will disturb the fish acoustically. An underwater bubble wall will be designed to prevent construction site noise from spreading “, explains Pierre Beaudouin, project manager of the environment department.

A valuable site

No more companies, like Millennium, closed in 2007, which dumped polluted liquid products into the Seine. The old factory located in the heart of the nature reserve, on a 13 hectare site, was demolished in 2021. The materials were excavated. A budget of 1.48 million euros will be earmarked for the restoration of the camp. About fifteen stork nests have already been placed on the site. It will be upgraded and open to the public in about two years. A hiking trail will also be created.

Ecological pastures, reeds, beehives, etc.

The estuary nature reserve contains the second largest reed bed in France after the Camargue. The port has also signed 180 farmers’ contracts for grazing and mowing. Goats, sheep, cows and donkeys share 45 hectares of eco-pasture. Since 2016, four hives have been used to harvest between 100 and 150 kg of honey per year. “A resting place for birds was set up near the southern Port 2000 dam. As for the resting place on the dune, in the protected area, it was the first project carried out as part of the environmental measures of Port 2000. it is the most spectacular, but there are about fifty actions in favor of biodiversity “ details Natacha Massu. Are these steps enough? “They deserve to exist” acknowledges ecologist Laurent Martin. “But we must stop being sleepwalkers and stop giving priority to the economy at the expense of the environment.”