17 hours ago
French NGOs slam 'lack of ambition' after Macron's bottom trawling announcement
French President Emmanuel Macron's announcement to restrict bottom trawling in French marine protected areas (MPAs) has prompted sceptical reactions among environmental NGOs, even though others welcomed it as "a good first step."
In a statement released Sunday, environmental protection group Bloom said that Macron had "confirmed that the imposture of France's maritime protection policy would continue, namely that there would never be a binding framework to truly protect so-called protected marine areas."
In an interview with the regional press on the eve of the Nice Oceans Summit (Unoc-3), Macron announced a restriction on bottom trawling in certain areas of French marine protected areas (MPAs).
He admitted that this fishing technique, which scrapes the seabed, "disrupts biodiversity and ecosystems that we must learn to protect."
Bottom trawling will be just one of many items on the agenda at a week-long conference - hosted by France and Costa Rica - to confront what the United Nations calls a global "emergency" in the oceans.
Ocean's survival hinges on finding the billions needed to save it
However, "we get the impression he's announcing that he's not going to announce anything," he added, deploring the "lack of ambition" in the president's statements.
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