No worry about bays and other indentations: the “Club of the most beautiful bays in the world” takes care of the preservation of its best elements. The volunteers of this trademark association are committed to identifying and ensuring the sustainability of berries around the world. In this club, the preservation of the sea and its coasts is the first concern: "
We are an association like any other, but we all come from the sea and we are aware of this chance
", explains
Bruno Bodard, co-founder
to
Figaro.
of the association and former director of the Vannes tourist office (Morbihan). The adventure began in 1996: “
At the time, Vannes was little known for its coastline. Its
gulf
, with an area of 115 km², is nevertheless a little gem,
”exclaims the sixty-year-old.
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Determined to restore the image of the place, admirers, friends and from the tourist office of the city then undertake a twinning between the Breton site of the Gulf of Morbihan and a bay of 1500 km² located in Vietnam: the bay of 'Ha Long. Sponsorship works, and the tourist office even proposes to include other bays in the initiative in order to create a real network: “
Why not create an association of the most beautiful bays in the world? We therefore contacted a number of bays for an invitation to London,
”remembers Bruno Bodard. After having laid the foundations of the association in the English capital, the "club" was officially created in March 1997. Its objective: referencing and monitoring the protection of "exceptional" berries,located all over the world.
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A very precise selection
Berries inducted into the association earn the right to appear in a ranking with very specific entry conditions.
Its members must in particular ensure the protection of the natural heritage and respect for the territorial identity of their bay.
They also promise to invest their resources in an economic and sustainable development project around these coasts.
To date, the association has 45 members, spread across 27 countries.
Nine of these berries are French.
Bay | Region |
Sables d'Olonne Bay | Pays de la Loire |
Bay of La Ciotat | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
Pouliguen bay | Pays de la Loire |
Bay of the Somme | Hauts-de-France |
Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel | Normandy |
Gulf of Morbihan | Brittany |
Gulf of Porto | Corsica |
Bay of Fort-de-France | Martinique |
Bay of Saintes | Guadeloupe |
The latest member, Baie des Sables d'Olonne, is doing well thanks to a project particularly focused on the preservation of its environment.
The question is at the heart of the association's project, the coasts being often threatened by climate change and the presence of man: “
Bays are receptacles and emblems of coastal issues,
deplores Bruno Bodard.
They are victims of overcrowding, conflicts of use and pollution.
On the American continent for example, the bays face problems of erosion and salinity of the sea due to the melting of the ice
”, describes the current secretary general of the association.
Membership of the “Club of the most beautiful bays in the world” guarantees the indentations an internationally recognized label. The city of Vannes, original member and current seat of the association, is now inseparable from the Gulf of Morbihan: “
Today, the people of my region are proud of the Gulf and its protection,
” Bruno Godard proudly advances. This membership is not, however, set in stone: members must prove that they deserve their place in the ranking. Bays have already been excluded and the place of each is called into question each year: “
In the classification, we find local officials determined to work over time to protect their bay. We are all part of the association to exchange ideas around the sea.it remains the same: clean
», Concludes Bruno Godard.
The tone is set.
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