Nantes wins award for its work on biodiversity in city
The city was recognised in its category for initiatives including the ‘greening’ of tarmacked areas and environmental education in schools
Nantes won in the 100,000+ inhabitants category for its commitment to green spaces and biodiversity
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Nantes has been named the best city in France for biodiversity in a competition organised by the Office français de la biodiversité (OFB).
The results, published on September 12, named Nantes (Loire-Atlantique, Pays de la Loire) as the best municipality for biodiversity in the category of towns and cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants.
The 13th annual contest attracted 50 entries, under its theme of ‘restraint and biodiversity’.
Nantes particularly pleased the judges for its ‘Paysages nourriciers (nourishing landscapes)’ operation, which includes:
The distribution of seeds for flowers in the streets
A ‘tree charter’ to plant more trees
Nature education in school
The ‘greening’ of school playgrounds
The plan to ‘naturalise’ 14 hectares of tarmac by 2026
Installations for Jean Jullien's ‘Voyage à Nantes’ with the city's council gardeners
A committee met in early July to select the winners. 10 site visits were undertaken, including one in Nantes. The city’s win in its category comes after it was crowned European Green Capital in 2013.
Mayor of Nantes, Johanna Rolland (socialist, but head of a group that also includes several influential green councillors), said on X (Twitter): “This is recognition of our strong political commitment to nature in the city, and the remarkable work of our staff.”
‘Local low-impact practices’
The competition was created by the OFB in 2010, and is open to all French municipalities. It is also organised in partnership with Plante & Cité (the national technical centre for green spaces and nature in cities) and supported by the French Ministry for Ecological Transition.
It aims to highlight examples of good actions, and spread awareness of the need for biodiversity and how to promote it.
“The collapse of [biodiverse] life is the consequence of the intensification of human activities,” said the OFB in a press release. “With this in mind, the competition organisers seek to highlight local authorities that have chosen to adopt low-impact practices.”
Nantes did not win the competition overall, however.
The official French Capital of Biodiversity 2024 title went to an administrative association of rural communes, called Bruyères Vallons des Vosges, in Vosges (Grand Est). The communes were found to be particularly active when it comes to reducing needless light pollution, helping to restore nocturnal species such as bats.
