Eric Ciotti, President of the General Council: “Renowned worldwide for its mild climate, the beauty and variety of its landscapes, the Côte d’Azur must protect and enhance this exceptional heritage, which constitutes a unique wealth.
From this perspective, we have desired that the preservation of the environment, the primary requirement of our territory traumatized by man, is placed at the forefront of our priorities.”
True green lungs for the families and tourists of the Alpes-Maritimes
To preserve the natural spaces still available, in a department where tourism development has long contributed to the urbanization of the coastal strip, the General Council of the Alpes-Maritimes has implemented, since the early 1960s, a policy of acquisition, protection, and public access to natural spaces. This commitment, confirmed over the years, has allowed the Department to showcase, in early 2011, twelve departmental natural parks open to the public, two under development, and three under study, which form the links of a green network, refuges for fauna and flora, and spaces for relaxation and leisure for city dwellers while respecting the environment.
The 12 parks
La Grande Corniche, located in the communes of Èze, La Trinité, and La Turbie, with an area of 662 hectares,
Le Vinaigrier, located in the commune of Nice, with an area of 31 hectares,
Estienne d’Orves, located in the commune of Nice, with an area of 15 hectares, Vaugrenier, located in the commune of Villeneuve-Loubet, with an area of 102 hectares,
Les Rives du Loup, located in the communes of Cagnes-sur-Mer, Villeneuve-Loubet, La Colle-sur-Loup, with an area of 52 hectares,
Le Lac du Broc, located in the commune of Broc, with an area of 47 hectares,
Le Plan des Noves, located in the commune of Vence, with an area of 828 hectares,
La Brague, located in the communes of Valbonne and Biot, with an area of 629 hectares,
La Valmasque, located in the communes of Mougins and Antibes, with an area of 432 hectares,
La Pointe de l’Aiguille, located in the commune of Théoule-sur-Mer, with an area of 7 hectares,
Le San Peyre, located in the commune of Mandelieu-La Napoule, with an area of 18 hectares,
L’Estérel, located in the communes of Théoule-sur-Mer and Mandelieu-La Napoule, with an area of 767 hectares.
Including 3 new planned extensions:
Le Vinaigrier: negotiations are underway for the acquisition of the “Cerre property”,
Les Rives du Loup: the procedure for the Declaration of Public Utility for the acquisition of the private plots needed for the continuity of the park, the inventory and management plan of the lands under agreement with the commune of Cagnes-sur-Mer, and the construction of the Ferrayonnes footbridge have been initiated. The continuity of the park along the seafront is under study.
La Brague: the acquisition to resolve the enclave of the Bruguet valley is under negotiation.
2 parks under development
L’Estéron, located in the communes of Roquesteron and Roquesteron-Grasse, with an area of 24 hectares. Public opening is planned for July 2011 (security is ongoing),
Le Massif du Paradou, in the commune of Vallauris, with an area of 12 hectares. Public opening is planned for June 2011 (security is ongoing).
Parks under study
Le Cros de Casté, located in the commune of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, with an area of 9 hectares. The park is under security work,
Les Rives du Var, 12 bordering municipalities, with an area of 642 hectares. This creation is planned in correlation with three projects: The transfer of the state ownership of the Var river to the General Council,
the “Natura 2000” classification of the lower Var valley and the responsibility for the preparation of the objective document by the General Council designated as the technical operator of this site and the “Eco-valley” project within the framework of the Plaine du Var National Interest Operation,
Les Tenchurades, located in the communes of Cagnes-sur-Mer, Saint-Laurent-du-Var, and La Gaude, extends over nearly 80 hectares. The management plan for this site will be initiated before summer, and will allow the definition of the most coherent target perimeter for this park project.
A future project
Additionally, the Sinodon Park, departmental property in the territory of the commune of Roquefort-les-Pins, has been the subject of a feasibility study for the creation of a departmental natural park. This forest area of about thirty hectares presents real potential and structuring facilities (public parking nearby, pathways and tracks already in place, topography suitable for public reception).
-A green and blue framework to value and protect the ecological richness of our territory
The territory of the Alpes-Maritimes presents extraordinary ecological richness and great diversity. The maintenance of this biodiversity can only be assured in the long term if ecological and biological exchanges endure.
Thus, the creation of a green and blue framework ensures the safeguarding of this natural setting.
This planning tool reduces the fragmentation of natural environments and offers terrestrial or aquatic plant and animal species a chance to adapt to climate change.
The green framework developed by the General Council is now reinforced by the green and blue framework of Nice Côte d’Azur.
This flagship measure from the work of the Grenelle Environment Round Table is integrated into the local urban plan of Nice adopted in December 2010, in which recommendations are made to preserve biodiversity in identified zones.
