Established only in 2012, the Calanques national park is the youngest nature reserve in France. The protected area, which lies near Marseille, was created with the aim of preserving the extraordinary biodiversity — both terrestrial and marine — of Mediterranean Provence. The park is home to more than 180 protected species, including the Bonelli's eagle (Aquila fasciata) and several species of cetaceans. The park's natural richness has been severely damaged by four poachers who fished illegally in its protected waters for more than four years.

Parc national des Calanques @ParcCalanques

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Le mérou et le corb de retour en force dans les eaux du @ParcCalanques pour @laprovence. Bonne nouvelle : l'augmentation de ces 2 grands prédateurs est un signe de bonne santé pour toute la chaîne alimentaire🙂
Bilan complet DEQC 2019 : urlz.fr/aSqx

♥ 19 25 ott 2019 · Apri su X →

A plundered sea

In 2018, the poachers had been tried and sentenced to terms ranging from fifteen to eighteen months, with suspended sentences. Wholesalers and restaurateurs who purchased the poached animals were fined between 800 and 1,500 euros. On 8 November last, however, the park authority demanded 450,000 euros in compensation for "ecological damage" from the four individuals responsible for catching nearly 5 tonnes of fish, cephalopods, echinoderms and seafood.

A landmark case

If the park's claim, deemed legitimate by the protected area's legal representative, were to be upheld by the Marseille court, it would be the first case of its kind since the entry into force of the legge per la riconquista della biodiversità, della natura e dei paesaggi del 2016. The law, adopted to improve the protection of France's natural heritage, introduced, among other things, a system of compensation for environmental damage. "We are asking the judge to apply the principle of law in this landmark case," commented Sébastien Mabile, legal counsel for the Calanques national park.

Read also: Svelato il costo dei traffici illegali di legname, pesce e animali selvatici

Extensive ecological damage

The poachers' activities have damaged the park's ecosystem balance, with negative effects on the entire food chain. Among the most heavily targeted species are apex predators such as groupers, whose decline has knock-on effects on the rest of the ecosystem.

Parc national des Calanques @ParcCalanques

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Dernier acte du procès braconnage ce matin à Marseille. Le préjudice écologique est au centre de cette nouvelle audience. Décryptage avec @SebastienM, avocat du @ParcCalanques
youtu.be/_VNYdfX47Ms

♥ 15 8 nov 2019 · Apri su X →

Repairing the damage

The money from any compensation awarded will, the French park specified, "be allocated directly to protection and management actions aimed at restoring the marine environment," with the intention of repairing the ecological damage caused by the poachers. While awaiting the verdict, we hope the court grants the park's request and that this case may set an important precedent and serve as a further deterrent for those who continue to inflict harm on nature.