The ocean for us with “C mon Spot !” Do your water sports while respecting marine biodiversity

On this World Oceans Day, under the aegis of the United Nations, the French Biodiversity Agency (OFB) urges you to resume your recreational nautical activities but calls for the greatest vigilance during this intense bird nesting period to avoid disturbance. To accompany you in your activities, the OFB has developed an original informational and awareness-raising tool for the Breton shoreline, the C mon spot website, to enable each and every person to be actively involved in biodiversity conservation.

Fragile populations dependent on nesting success

The resuming of seaside outdoor activities coincides with the peak of the nesting season for threatened birds such as plovers, oystercatchers, terns and seagulls. These species nest on the ground, either on beaches or islets with sparse vegetation away from land predators (dogs, foxes, etc.), disturbance and gusts of wind.  In France, Brittany plays a major role in seabird nesting due to its long coastline and numerous islets.

These heritage species are very sensitive to disturbance, which can disrupt their breeding and impact the renewal of populations. They are fragile and some are declining in numbers.

Certain species which nest on the upper beach like Kentish Plover, Ringed Plover or Oystercatcher were able to take advantage of the exceptional lack of disturbance during the two-month lockdown to nest on usually busier beaches, making their nesting particularly vulnerable when the lockdown ended.

An interactive tool serving biodiversity: C mon Spot

Anybody can now find out about the sensitivity of a coastline for seabird nesting. The website C mon Spot and the associated Facebook page, run by the OFB, offer interactive and educational maps of the Breton coastline along with recommendations for doing sports activities without disturbing birds and seals.

Download the press release in French