Reconciling water sharing and nature conservation in the French Camargue

On November 22, 2024, a diverse group of 15 participants gathered in Arles for a workshop focusing on the critical intersection of hashtag#water 💧, hashtag#ecosystems 🐟🌱, and hashtag#climatechange in the 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐮𝐞 💦 🦩 – one of hashtag#RESTORE4Cs Case Pilots. Key stakeholders—including institutional actors, conservationists, and members of the local economy—came together to discuss pressing challenges and solutions. Key discussions included: 🦩 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 in the hashtag#Camargue, highlighting successful projects, research, and strategies; 🦩The identification of critical issues, with 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, and 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 emerging as top priorities; 🦩A collaborative vision for the future, emphasizing sustainable development while ensuring the protection of Camargue’s ecosystems. Three consensus solutions were proposed: 1️⃣ Rehabilitating and optimising existing infrastructure, such as canals and pumping stations; 2️⃣ Mapping stakeholder water 💧 needs to optimise usage and anticipate future requirements; 3️⃣ Supporting sector-specific adaptation to climate change. The workshop closed with a discussion on the next steps for RESTORE4Cs 💧 🌱 🦆, reaffirming the collective commitment to the region’s future.