BIODIVERSITY AT AN AIRPORT
YES, BUT WHY?
A responsible approach to biodiversity at an airport involves learning more about the fauna, flora and their habitats. It enables the operator to gain knowledge of natural areas in order to adapt and facilitate their management, without jeopardising air transport safety.
This is the commitment undertaken in 2021 by the Aéroport du Golfe de Saint-Tropez (AGST). Although already firmly rooted in the company’s culture, biodiversity management at AGST was enshrined by the signing of a partnership with the AERO BIODIVERSITE association in March 2021.
The association was set up in 2015 in partnership with Air France, the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) and the French National Museum of Natural History, among others. It is now present at around fifty French airports of all sizes and aims to assess and enhance the biodiversity of airports, as well as identifying best practice in platform management.
AIRPORT MEADOWS
RESERVOIRS OF BIODIVERSITY!
Grasslands have great potential for hosting biodiversity and can be locally significant in terms of both their surface area and their biological richness. Consequently, airport rights of way are likely to become refuges for animal and plant communities. In addition to their role as a support for biodiversity, aeronautical grasslands also contribute to a number of major processes: they help pollinate neighbouring crops, but also contribute to a number of climate regulation phenomena, in particular by storing carbon and regulating water quality.
At AGST, airport green spaces are no exception to the rule and are full of wonderful surprises:
- The “Diane (Zerynthia polyxena)” butterfly (a protected species that is becoming increasingly rare) was observed on its host plant, the “aristoloche” (Aristolochia rotunda).
- or 41 bird species were recorded during this first year of surveys on the platform, 32 of which are nationally protected.
- A total of 376 species have been inventoried at the airport in 2021.
- A total of 376 species have been inventoried at the airport in 2021.
ON THE ROAD TO
TO ZERO PHYTO!
On 1 June 2022, the use of plant protection products will be banned in certain areas and conditionally regulated in others (LABBE LAW).
Will we be ready?
Although airports are identified in this second category, the Golfe de Saint-Tropez Airport has chosen, for several years now, to considerably reduce its use of phyto-sanitary products, favouring more natural methods in keeping with the exceptional environment that surrounds it.
Today, the airport is part of an integrated management system that uses virtually no pesticides. And on June 1, the conversion will be complete!
CAP 2030: A NET ZERO EMISSIONS AIRPORT
It is less than two years since Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur officially launched its Net Zero 2030 initiative.
The Golfe de Saint-Tropez airport is even further ahead of the game in this strategy, having done everything it can to become a net zero emission airport by 2020.
The first stage of this approach involves reducing energy consumption in all areas under the airport’s control. This involves replacing energy-guzzling light bulbs with LEDs in the terminal, optimising natural light, thermal insulation of premises such as the Aircraft Rescue and Fire-fighting Service (ARFF) changing rooms and introducing a renewable energy purchase contract. The airport has been drawing up an inventory of its greenhouse gas emissions since 2013 and has developed a carbon management plan to limit energy consumption as much as possible.
The second phase of this commitment consists of decarbonising activities, notably by replacing combustion vehicles with electric models or by developing innovative concepts, such as installing hydrogen injection boxes on its vehicles and specific diesel machines in order to limit pollutant emissions and fuel consumption.
To absorb the residual and incompressible emissions, the airport has planted over 1,100 trees, all Mediterranean species such as myrtle, arbutus, cork oak, Aleppo pine, etc. on the airport site. These natural carbon sink plantations theoretically absorb 30 tonnes of CO2 per year, twice as much as the direct emissions emitted by AGST.
The airport passed a milestone in 2021 by obtaining level 4+ in the international Airport Carbon Accreditation programme. This is the “transition” level. It requires airport managers to work with other air transport operators to implement joint action plans to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. And, above all, the great novelty of this level is that the airport must now reduce its emissions not per passenger or per movement, but in absolute terms. It is the reduction in this total tonnage that is now being judged.
Actions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are not limited to AGST’s direct emissions. The airport is also taking steps to reduce indirect emissions, known as scope 3 emissions, such as on-site composting of bio-waste to reduce the proportion of all waste going to incineration, or the use of
(GPU) to limit the use of aircraft auxiliary power units (APU).
AND WHAT ARE WE DOING IN 2023?
AGST is continuing and consolidating its management and knowledge of biodiversity by implementing the monitoring and observation protocols recommended by the association.
Conservation measures have been implemented, such as the initiative to protect the egg-laying area of the Diana butterfly.
Towards a certification process …
An AEROBIO label will be created in 2021 to recognise the work and commitment of airports involved in the Aero Biodiversity initiative. It is based on 4 criteria (Biodiversity management, Staff investment, Territorial anchoring and Communication) and has 3 levels of requirement.