Connaissance, potentialités et valorisation des Dunes de Flandre : vers une démarche Opération Grand Site

Abstract

The “Dunes de Flandre”, a coastal dunes system located between Dunkirk and the Belgian border at the edge of the North Sea, constitute the last coastal dunes of the Nord department of France. This specificity makes these protected natural sites very exposed to an important frequentation especially in zones with very high urban densities. Within this framework, the Syndicat Intercommunal des Dunes de Flandre (SIDF) started in 2011 an “Opération Grand Site” (OGS), to reach a “Grand Site de France” certification by 2020. A one-year study of visitors was conducted by the research center TVES research center. This paper proposes some thoughts on the coherence of data (quantitative and qualitative) collected during our visitor monitoring with the general objectives set by OGS approach. This knowledge helps management through two aspects: on the one hand, it makes it possible to reinforce approach OGS by confirming the choice of the perimeter and, on the other hand, to set up recommendations to develop these spaces.

Keywords

• Visitor monitoring
• Integrated coastal zone management
• North Sea
• Coastal dunes
• Protected areas
• Hauts de France