Green and blue corridor enhancement plan - Saint-Etienne

@https://www.saint-etienne-hors-cadre.fr/en/walks/the-grand-tour/

On June 1, 2017, Saint-Etienne Métropole (France) committed to the implementation of measures to strengthen the circulation of wildlife between the different biodiversity rich green spaces and blue areas in its territory. As such, the city of Saint-Etienne officially signed a new green and blue corridor enhancement plan ('contrat vert et bleu') with 13 partners (including municipalities in the metropolitan area, NGOs and academic institutions) for the period from 2016 to 2020. The plan was renewed following the first territorial contract for biological corridors (2011-2015). The cooperative instrument is a new regulatory tool for the protection of biodiversity in the whole metropolitan area. Its objective is to protect a coherent and functional ecological network consisting of biodiversity reservoirs and ecological corridors. It is made up of biodiversity reservoirs: areas where biodiversity is richest and best represented, and ecological corridors: the movement routes used by fauna and flora that link the biodiversity reservoirs. The plan has 24 actions, which aim to reinforce those already undertaken in the first territorial contract for biological corridors, namely: The protection of spaces (within the framework of the local urban plan, such as large gardens, remarkable trees, working gardens); the network of pedestrian pathways (such as the green loop project around the city, linking the current greenways); the demolition of degraded spaces for the creation of spaces of respiration (e.g. the islet Rondet-Tarentaize); the re-qualification of aging public spaces along structuring axes (transversal between the Opera and the Museum of Art and Industry, the Carnot viaduct); and the integration of vegetation in major urban projects (e.g. steel, 3rd line of tramway, Châteaucreux).

Overview

Type of instrument:

Agreement-based or cooperative instrument›Joint regional planning between municipalities

Challenges addressed

Ecologic connectivity
Soil quality
Water management (e.g. reuse)
Green space management (e.g. accessibility)
Watershed restoration/water quality
Drought and fire risk
Flood risk: pluvial and fluvial / soil permeability
Heat stress and heat island effect
Social cohesion
Other, please specify

Salud, comodidad y bienestar humanos

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

The following specific NBS-related objectives have been formulated in the plan: Conserve rich and connected reservoirs of biodiversity; Preserve and restore ecological continuities; Preserve the overall quality of the landscape matrix; Develop the urban green and blue fabric; Integration of the approach into a larger framework; Raise awareness of the challenges of the green and blue fabric; Promote a concerted approach to mobilize; Improve knowledge on ecological functions; Guarantee the implementation of the operational objectives of the green and blue contract. In addition to biodiversity restoration, climate adaptation is addressed through the restoration of wetlands and/or coastal ecosystems to dissipate the effects of flooding and/or storms and the implementation of sustainable urban drainage infrastructure (e.g. to make space for water).

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

Parks and (semi)natural urban green areas

Allotments, community gardens or agricultural areas

Blue areas

Urban green space connected to grey infrastructure

Good practice characteristics:

Support multifunctional NBS

Locally appropriate

Potential to be replicated / upscaled

Governance

Government body/bodies

Initiating body:

Saint Etienne Métropole

Instrument design:

Details about how the instrument was designed:

A total of 14 organizations participated in the drafting of the Green and Blue Contract. Private sector entities, NGOs and university are also part of those organizations such as the SNCF RESEAU (Train Company), the university of Jean Monnet Saint-Etienne, and Rhône-Alpes Nature Conservation Federation - Loire. Saint-Etienne Métropole aims to mobilize municipalities through access to regional funds and to the ERDF (European Regional and Economic Development Fund).

Instrument implementation:

Type of involvement:

The following activities and responsible bodies have been defined: a) Research section: Define a continuous iterative evaluation method for the Contract (Saint Etienne Métropole and France Nature Environnement Loire management) ; Create a geo-referenced database of land use, natural and semi-natural environments; Carry out inventories of natural environments supporting continuities at the scale of the territory (management Conservatory of natural spaces Rhône-Alpes, France Nature Environment and League for the Protection of Birds Loire, National Botanical Conservatory of Massif Central); Carry out inventories of landscape elements supporting biodiversity in urban areas to establish ecological continuities (Saint Etienne Métropole management); Set up a land strategy on priority sectors and support for landowners (Saint Etienne Métropole piloting); Land acquisition (management of Saint-Etienne metropolis and municipalities, Departmental Federation of Loire Hunters); Identify fragmented sectors presenting a major stake in terms of ecological continuity (Saint Etienne Métropole management); Experiment with the development of naturalness in remarkable forest environments. b) Animation section: Set up an awareness strategy for elected officials and the general public and implement it (steering Saint Etienne Métropole and France Nature Environnement Loire); Provide technical and scientific engineering to action leaders through training and scientific support (management of Saint Etienne Métropole and Conservatory of Rhône-Alpes natural spaces); Provide feedback on Trame Verte et Bleue operations and feed partner networks and demonstrative actions (Saint Etienne Métropole piloting); Fund project manager positions to run the contract (Saint Etienne Métropole management); Improve synergies between agro-environmental actions and the Green and Blue Contract (Saint Etienne Métropole piloting) c) Urban planning component: Produce a guide for taking into account green and blue grid issues in urban planning documents (Saint Etienne Métropole piloting); Support pilot operations on the development of new urban forms integrating ecological continuities (Saint Etienne Métropole piloting); Develop a data visualization platform incorporating the actions of the Contract (Saint Etienne Métropole management) - Identify a methodology for the implementation of the green and blue grid on a plot scale (Saint Etienne Métropole piloting); Continue to support the territories to integrate the Green and Blue Network into town planning documents (Saint Etienne Métropole piloting). d) Works section: Pursue the reconstruction of natural elements in priority sectors (works, management, maintenance) in particular: - wetlands, hedges and ponds as well as conservatory measures in forest environments (Saint-Etienne Métropole management, Joint Syndicate of Gorges Development de la Loire, Office National des Forêts, National Center for Forest Owners, municipalities); demonstrative operations for the creation and maintenance of vegetation through hedges (management of the Montravel Center for Promotional Training and Agricultural Promotion); Support farmers in integrating the consideration of biodiversity into their practices (Saint Etienne Métropole piloting); Launch feasibility studies to carry out crossings on existing roads (Saint Etienne Métropole piloting); Carry out land improvements allowing the crossing of species at the level of existing infrastructures (Saint Etienne Métropole piloting); Restore the passability of existing structures identified as priorities in the territory (Saint Etienne Métropole management, infrastructure managers); Manage sensitive and fragmented spaces (Saint Etienne Métropole management); Support pilot operations to restore and enhance the green and blue infrastructure in the city (Saint Etienne Métropole and municipalities piloting).

Type of non-governmental actors involved:

Unknown

Targeted actors:

Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)

Private: household, real estate developer, business , financial

Researchers, university

Citizens or community groups (CBOs), NGOs

Private actors, specifically food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)

Financing

Sources of funding:

Public national budget

Public regional budget

Public local authority’s budget

EU funds

Budget:

5 000 000€ - 10 000 000€

Details about instrument financing:

The funding of a total of 7 300 000€ over 6 years was made up of earmarked public EU, national, regional and local budget (Région Rhône-Alpes, Etat via le FEADER et Appel à projet biodiversité, Europe via le FEDER Massif Central) and of direct funding or subsidies.

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Is a monitoring framework in place?:

Yes

The following monitoring and evaluation activities are defined in the plan and must be submitted every year: Carry out inventories of natural environments supporting continuities at the scale of the territory (management Conservatory of natural spaces Rhône-Alpes, France Nature Environment and League for the Protection of Birds Loire, National Botanical Conservatory of Massif Central); and Carry out inventories of landscape elements supporting biodiversity in urban areas to establish ecological continuities (Saint Etienne Métropole management). No monitoring report is currently publicly available.

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

No information found.

Success factors and lessons learned:

Saint-Etienne's Green and Blue Corridors Enhancement Plan supports multifunctional nature-based solutions encompassing ecosystem restoration, enhancing biodiversity, improving soil, water and air quality. Thanks to specific objectives and measures it has the potential to be replicated.

Sources and further information

References

List of references:

1. Saint Etienne Métropole (n.d). "Relier entre-eux les grands espaces de biodiversité". Brochure. Available at: https://de.calameo.com/read/0005441135e6b0becc9b5?page=1 (Accessed: June 23, 2022). 2. Brignon, Daniel (2017, June). "Un nouveau Contrat « vert et bleu » pour l'agglomération stéphanoise". Available at: https://www.lessor42.fr/un-nouveau-contrat-vert-et-bleu-pour-l-agglomeration-stephanoise-19259.html (Accessed: June 23, 2022). 3. Saint Etienne Métropole (2017, June 12). "La biodiversité, un atout pour accroître l’attractivité du territoire". (Website not available in 2022). 4. Ministère de la Transition Écologique et de la Cohésion des Territoires (n.d). Trame Verte et Bleue. Available at: https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/trame-verte-et-bleue (Accessed: June 23, 2022). 5. Saint Etienne Métropole (2014). Plan Climat Newsletter. (Website not available in 2022). 6. Saint Etienne Métropole (n.d.). "La Métropole agit en faveur de la biodiversité". Available at: https://www.saint-etienne-metropole.fr/preserver-recycler/biodiversite/la-metropole-agit-en-faveur-de-la-biodiversite (Accessed: June 23, 2022). 7. Trame Verte et Bleue (2012). La TVB à Saint-Etienne Métropole : entre planification et restauration de la fonctionnalité des espaces naturels. Available at: http://www.trameverteetbleue.fr/retours-experiences/tvb-saint-etienne-metropole-entre-planification-restauration-fonctionnalite (Accessed: June 23, 2022).

Photos

@https://www.saint-etienne-hors-cadre.fr/en/walks/the-grand-tour/