Régis THEPOT Chief Executive Officer of Etablissement Public Loire

1. Integrated River Basin Management of the Loire river From conflict to stakeholder involvement Régis THEPOT Chief Executive Officer of Etablissement Public Loire 3rd Yangtze Forum – Shanghai – April 2009

2. Loire river basin Etablissement public Loire The Plan Loire grandeur nature. From conflict to skakeholder involvement 3rd Yangtze Forum – Shanghai – April 2009

3. Area: 100.000 km² Length : 1.000 km Very irregular flow 3rd Yangtze Forum – Shanghai – April 2009

4. Upper part of the basin 3rd Yangtze Forum – Shanghai – April 2009

5. The Middle Loire Amboise Orléans Nuclear plant Nevers Angers 3rd Yangtze Forum – April 2009

6. Levees, breaches and spillways in in the middle Loire 3rd Yangtze Forum – Shanghai – April 2009

7. 2003’s flood (middle Loire) 1949’s draught 3rd Yangtze Forum – Shanghai – April 2009

8. Downstream Loire 3rd Yangtze Forum – Shanghai – April 2009

9. Etablissement Public Loire A Public Institution gathering local communities at the river basin level .6 Regions .16 Departments . 18 Cities 3rd Yangtze Forum – Shanghai – April 2009

10. Role of EP Loire Area of competence A tool for solidarity and subsidiarity at river basin level Flood prevention Water Water ressources management Operating two dams Naussac and Villerest Local development 3rd Yangtze Forum – Shanghai – April 2009

11. Dams of Villerest and Naussac 3rd Yangtze Forum – Shanghai – April 2009

12. Plan Loire grandeur natureFrom conflict to stakeholder involvement Description of the Plan Presentation of 3 examples in the flood prevention field 3rd Yangtze Forum – Shanghai – April 2009

13. Plan Loire grandeur nature 1994 - 2006 Initialy a top-down approach Was decided by the governement in 1994 after fierce ecological conflicts concerning the construction of dams Serre de la Fare Main Objectives - integrated management of the Loire river basin - a joint approach associating involved actors and scientific assessment 310 M€ / 3 billion RMB Duration: initially 10 years prolonged to 12 3 main contractors 3rd Yangtze Forum – Shanghai – April 2009

14. Plan Loire 2007-2013 A top-down and bottom up approach • Based on the EU WFD and the Aarhus convention : • global assessment of Plan Loire 1994-2006 • consultation in 2006 of the stakeholders in order to elaborate a strategic document defining shared stakes • organization of regional and thematic meetings on the whole Loire basin • dedicated website forum 3rd Yangtze Forum – Shanghai – April 2009

15. Global budget 2007-2013 : 400 M€ / 4 billions RMB 3rd Yangtze Forum – Shanghai – April 2009

16. 5 key fields of action in 2007-2013 Safety of population facing flood risks Managing water resources Restoring natural aquatic ecosystem and wetlands Enhancing the Loire valley heritage Developing research and data exchanges 3rd Yangtze Forum – Shanghai – April 2009

17. Flood prevention • Risk mapping • Monitoring of the expansion of urban areas in floodplains • Reinforcing the means for warning systems • Evacuation plans • Development measures – Mitigation policy 3rd Yangtze Forum – Shanghai – April 2009

18. 3 examples in the flood prevention field illustrating the stakeholder involvement • At the river basin scale, an « industrial » approach aimed at reducing the vulnerabilty to flooding for the economic activities • In the middle Loire Joint planning approach • Testing a flood risk management plan

19. Example 1 : An « industrial » approach aimed at reducing the vulnerabity to flooding • In the middle Loire 15.000 companies are in flood prone areas, and within 2013 : • 3000 companies will have carried out an assessment of their vulnerability and taken actions to reduce it • 900 companies, sectors and activity zones will have implemented effective and urgent measures to reduce their vulnerability

20. Middle Loire risk assessment Flooding similar to the major desasters of the 19 th century (1846,1856, 1866)would threaten : • 240 towns and villages • 300.000 inhabitants • 115.000 accomodations • 15.000 companies • 72.000 employments • 87.000 ha for agriculture Estimated damages: 10 billion € (100 billion RNB) 3rd Yangtze Forum – Shanghai – April 2009

21. Middle Loire flood prevention strategy Designed in 1999 Based on a three-pronged approach, being implemented parallel : Protection Prediction Prevention Telemetry network www.osiris-inondation.fr Spillway 3rd Yangtze Forum – Shanghai – April 2009

22. Example 2 : Joint Planning approach in middle Loire • A product of Dutch, French and German on the European project «Freude am Fluss » lead partner Radboud University Nijmegen • 6 steps : mutual learning ; shared visioning ; rules and institutions ; exploring joint options ; joint design ; implementation • Method now used by the governement and EP Loire to implement the flood prevention strategy

23. Example 3 : Testing a flood risk management plan • A new EU directive on evaluating and managing flood risks (October 2007) • A test area for the french Ministry of Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and Spatial Planning and EP Loire

24. To get more information www.eptb-loire.fr www.plan-loire.fr 3rd Yangtze Forum – Shanghai – April 2009

25. Conclusions • Plan Loire Grandeur : born out of a conflict about dam construction • 15 years later in many fields an example of stakeholder involvement • The sustainable development of a river basin is not Utopia

26. See you soon along the Loire river !