European Seabird Resource Hub - France
France's Exclusive Economic Zone is the world's second largest after the United States.
La Ligue des Protection des Oiseaux (LPO)'s marine work focuses mainly on the coastline of mainland France, while also collaborating and supporting its local partners in French overseas territories and outermost regions.
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LPO's Marine Projects
At the beginning of 2014, more than 50 000 seabirds were found stranded on the European coast in just a few weeks. LPO's coastal network of local associations, under the framework of LPO's Birds in Distress Programme rescued, rehabilitated and released the stranded seabirds.
The international project Future of the Marine Atlantic Environment collected data on seabirds living in French marine protected areas and encouraged work with renewable energy companies.
Marine protected areas
LPO manages several marine reserves and one of the most important is the Sept-îles marine protected area, which hosts the only metropolitan colonies of Gannet and Atlantic Puffin.
An oil spill in 1980 caused the Puffin population to plummet from the initial 7000 to 200 breeding pairs and it has not recovered since, presumably from the lack of food resources. LPO coordinates an Atlantic Puffin diet survey where any contributor can join the project!
La Compagnie du Vent/GDF Suez, EDF Energies Nouvelles and Ailes Marines/IBERDROLA have chosen to support LPO's marine projects in order to provide a better integration of wind farms in the Atlantic marine environment.
LPO also works to encourage these companies to participate in research and data collection, which will ensure wind farms are constructed in areas of minimal impact to biodiversity.
Stichting BirdLife Europe gratefully acknowledges financial support from the European Commission. All content and opinions expressed on these pages are solely those of Stichting BirdLife Europe.