Unprecedented mobilization for Operation Clean Bay
From June 1 to 7, the Marine nationale led the 17th cleaning campaign of the Toulon bay and its surroundings.
The Toulon bay, one of the most beautiful in Europe but also one of the most heavily used ecosystems in the Mediterranean, is at the heart of a new environmental offensive led by the Marine nationale.
The "Rade d’Avenir" project for coordinated action
Public and private actors, under the aegis of the Métropole Toulon Provence Méditerranée (TPM) and in close partnership with the Marine nationale, have officialized a reinforced action plan. This project, named "Rade d'Avenir", pools resources and sets ambitious goals for the next five years.
The time for scattered initiatives is over. The new roadmap brings together all stakeholders: the Métropole, the Marine nationale, the Région Sud, the Agence de l'eau, as well as coastal municipalities, industrial players, boating associations, and maritime professionals. The challenge is to coordinate efforts to effectively combat all sources of pollution.
“We are moving from a logic of reparation to a strategy of prevention and sustainable ecological restoration. This is a collective commitment for future generations,” emphasized Hervé Martin, vice-president of the Métropole TPM delegated to the Environment.
Military personnel and civilians mobilized on the ground
Concretely, this action responds to the commitments made by the Marine in the framework of the bay contract of the Toulon bay and the îles d’Or. It is also part of the sustainable development strategy of the ministère des Armées. The approach is participatory, involving local authorities, port managers, industrial players, and associations.
Throughout the week, military personnel and civilians therefore joined forces to carry out cleaning operations of the seabed and the coastline.
The areas concerned were the premises of the base navale de Toulon, the base aéronavale de Hyères, the Pôle écoles Méditerranée de Saint-Mandrier (PEM), the club nautique de la marine in Toulon, the site of the Direction Générale de l’Armement du Mourillon, the site of the Tour Royale, as well as the ports of Toulon, Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer, and Sanary-sur-Mer.
Photos by Philippe OLIVIER.