France/Marseille and the LPO Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur: A Strengthened Partnership to Preserve Nature in the City

After several years of supporting the development of volunteer-based community organizations in its area, the City of Marseille and the LPO Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur signed a multi-year partnership agreement in 2025 to better understand, protect, and promote the region’s natural heritage.

Through this partnership, the LPO Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and the City of Marseille are now strengthening their shared commitment to biodiversity by implementing an action plan whose main measures are as follows: improving knowledge of the species and habitats found in the region, taking action to protect them, and raising awareness among residents and local stakeholders about the importance of preserving biodiversity.

A Partnership in Support of Marseille’s Natural Heritage

Nature conservation relies on a collective effort bringing together local governments, organizations, volunteers, professionals, and citizens. It is within this framework that the LPO Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur supports the City of Marseille in implementing these initiatives.

This partnership makes it possible, in particular, to:

• Expand the network of LPO Refuges on municipal lands conducive to biodiversity, particularly Natural Urban Brownfields (FUN), through ecological assessments, monitoring of management practices, and support for the designation of these sites as LPO Refuges;
• Improve knowledge of at-risk species present in the Marseille area, particularly those covered by National Action Plans (PNA), such as the Eurasian scops owl, the southern red-backed shrike, and protected wildlife in built-up areas that is particularly vulnerable to urban renewal projects and heat waves (swallows and swifts, bats, reptiles, etc.);
• Share and promote naturalist data to enrich efforts to understand the region, such asthe Municipal Biodiversity Atlas (ABC), or initiatives related to the preservation of the “black network”;
• Raise residents’ awareness of nature in the city through activities, events, and initiatives designed to help them discover the species and natural habitats around them;
• Support and train municipalstaff to ensure that ecological considerations are better integrated into urban development projects and the management of public spaces.

Regarding protected wildlife in built-up areas, a pilot project will be conducted jointly by the City of Marseille and the LPO PACA in Bastide Massenet (14th arrondissement); This site is the first of the“Biodiversity in Built Environments” pilot sites under the National “Nature in the City ” Plan for the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur region.

Watch the video: different perspectives on this partnership

To mark the renewal of this partnership, watch the discussion between Danielle Castagnoni, president of the LPO Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, and Hervé Menchon, First Deputy Mayor of Marseille, focusing on the challenges of biodiversity conservation and the joint initiatives being carried out in the Marseille area.

Source: www.lpo.fr/