Debates on the Future of the Loire Estuary

What is the trajectory for the Loire Estuary to be by 2050? This was the theme of a day-long event devoted to estuary encounters, organized by the Nantes ‒ Saint Nazaire Metropolitan Community Association and by Frédéric Vasse, at the Terre d’Estuaire Loire Estuary Interpretation Centre in Cordemais on 16th May.

The programme of the event included debates and discussions to build a shared vision for the future of the Loire Estuary. Numerous representatives of the Regional Community’s institutional and economic players, as well as figures providing inspiring testimonies from other port and estuary cities, responded to the invitation from the Metropolitan Community Association, including Edouard Philippe.

Jean-Rémy Villageois, Chair of the Management Board of Nantes ‒ Saint Nazaire Port, took part in the round-table discussion "Developing and Looking after the Estuary", alongside Pierre Teissier from the François Viète Centre for the History of Science and Technology in Nantes, Jean Christophe Gavallet, Chair of the France Nature & Environment Association in the Pays de la Loire Region, Bruno Michel, Chair of AILE, the Loire Estuary Association of Industrial Firms, and geographer Valérie Lavaud-Letilleul, Professor at the University of Montpellier Paul-Valéry, member of ART-Dev ‒ Debate with elected representatives from the Loire and Seine Estuary Regions.

For Jean-Rémy Villageois, "Sharing this estuary culture is very productive. It’s something that feeds into everyday life. In a port, day-to-day operations involve managing risks. What we do is keep a close eye on this changing environment, so that we can adapt our technical and human activities."