From September 25 to October 26, bike reporter Jérôme Zindy travels through the nine regional natural parks of Paca.
This 1,000 km adventure aims to document the initiatives deployed locally so that they can inspire other territories.
He notably went to the Alpes-Maritimes to discover the restoration of dry stone terraces.
Dewatering the soil, revegetating schoolyards or even identifying places to install photovoltaic panels to avoid buying back agricultural land and deforestation.
So many ideas deployed locally which deserve "to be filmed so that other territories can be inspired by them", says Jérôme Zindy, bike reporter whom
20 Minutes
had already met a year ago.
Since September 25, the explorer has been on the loose again.
He travels with his solar-powered bicycle through the nine regional natural parks of the Paca region.
The adventure must end on October 26.
The goal ?
“Reaching local actors, communities and elected officials and the parks between them, so that they take it up, because we have the solutions”, exclaims the bicycle reporter.
Restoring terraces in the Alpes-Maritimes
On Monday, he was in Gourdon, in the Southern Pre-Alps to discover the "restoration of dry stone terraces".
“It's a stack of stones without cement, specifies Jérôme Zindy.
This technique makes it possible to recreate agricultural areas and at the same time, it responds to the climatic disturbance in this territory, between torrential rain and drought.
The restanques allow to keep the humidity of the soil and help to fight against the erosion of the soil unlike concrete walls which are impermeable.
Dry stone can last 200 years and is easily rebuilt.
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Since 2015, 50 projects have been supported and more than 500 people have been trained to multiply the impact on the territory.
This action has enabled the association “Les petits loups maraîchers”, a citizens' initiative, which brings together 50 families, to move towards food self-sufficiency, in particular thanks to organic vegetables and fruits grown on these new surfaces.
“It is all the more important because the Alpes-Maritimes only produces 1% of the food needs of its population, supports the reporter.
The territory is not naturally made but everything is imported.
We want to show that there is work to be done to redeploy these practices, which are ultimately very accessible”.
The role of regional natural parks highlighted
He will therefore make a video “without added pollution” thanks to the solar energy produced by his bike, which he will publish after the adventure.
It is also with his work that the Paca parks network asked him to do this project.
“Before leaving for the adventure, I didn't know much about it.
I found this desire to reconcile human activities with the environment for the preservation of the territory interesting.
I did not suspect this support role for certain municipalities which, like large cities, do not benefit from services in charge of ecological and environmental issues”, underlines Jérôme Zindy.
He adds: “We are talking about an increase of 1.5°C in France if all goes well, but we do not forget to say that there is no regularity throughout the territory.
Where I was before Gourdon, in the Queyras park, climate change is twice as rapid in the mountains and yet it is home to unsuspected biodiversity.
And to observe these changes, the Paca parks have appointed experts, a kind of local IPCC.
They then follow the evolution of the climate in the region, with the reality on the ground in order to best respond to it.
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“All these good ideas must spread”
The next stop will be in the Parc du Verdon, where the challenges are to reinvent a model in the diversification of crops, especially between all the lavender fields adored by tourists and very popular for Instagram photos.
He will meet about thirty farmers there.
He wants to show "the strength of a park to bring all the actors around the table and act".
He concludes: “All these initiatives seem to be in the minority but can be deployed.
It comes from the heads of people who have a sensitivity for nature and who want to change things.
An ecology for oneself, according to one's possibilities, is achievable.
But all these good ideas must spread, especially among decision-makers.
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