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 the natural environment in order to adapt and facilitate management, without jeopardizing 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 corporate 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 Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, among others. Today, it is present at some fifty French airports of all sizes, and its aim is to assess and enhance the biodiversity of airports, as well as to identify best practices in hub management.
AIRPORT MEADOWS
BIODIVERSITY RESERVOIRS!
Grasslands offer great potential for hosting biodiversity, and can be locally significant in terms of both surface area and biological richness. As a result, airport rights-of-way are likely to become refuges for animal and plant communities. And beyond their role as a support for biodiversity, aeronautical meadows also contribute to a number of other important processes: they help pollinate neighboring crops, and also contribute to various climate regulation phenomena, notably carbon storage and water quality regulation.
At AGST, airport green spaces are no exception to the rule and are full of surprises:
- The “Diane (Zerynthia polyxena)” butterfly (an increasingly rare protected species) 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.
- More than 5 areas of interest (habitat at stake) have been referenced and will be monitored during the association’s 3 annual visits.
EN ROUTE TO
ZERO PHYTO!
On June 1, 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 Aéroport du Golfe de Saint-Tropez has chosen, for several years now, to considerably reduce its use of phyto-sanitary products, in favor of more natural methods in keeping with the exceptional environment that surrounds it.
Today, the airport is part of a reasoned management approach that uses virtually no phyto products. And on June 1, the conversion will be complete!
CAP 2030: A NET ZERO EMISSIONS AIRPORT
It’s been less than two years since Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur officially launched its Net Zero 2030 initiative.
The Aéroport du Golfe de Saint-Tropez is even further ahead of the game in this strategy, having made every effort to become a net zero emission airport by 2020.
The first step in this process is to reduce energy consumption at all points under the airport’s control. This includes replacing energy-hungry light bulbs with LEDs in the terminal, optimizing natural light, thermal insulation of premises such as the Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Service (ARFFS) changing rooms, and introducing a renewable energy purchasing contract. The airport has been drawing up an inventory of its greenhouse gas emissions since 2013, and has developed a carbon management plan to keep energy consumption to a minimum.
The second phase of this commitment involves decarbonizing operations, notably by replacing combustion-powered vehicles with electric models, or by developing innovative concepts, such as installing hydrogen injection boxes on its vehicles and specific diesel machines to limit pollutant emissions and fuel consumption.
To absorb residual and incompressible emissions, the airport has planted over 1,100 trees, all Mediterranean species such as myrtle, arbutus, cork oak, Aleppo pine… on the airport right-of-way. These natural carbon sink plantations theoretically absorb 30 tonnes of CO2 per year, twice as much as AGST’s direct emissions.
The airport reached a milestone in 2021 with the award of level 4+ in the international Airport Carbon Accreditation program. This is the “transition” level. It calls on airport managers to join forces with other players in the air transport industry to set up 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 of 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 induced indirect emissions, known as scope 3 emissions, such as on-site composting of bio-waste to reduce the proportion of all waste sent for incineration, or the use of electric
GPUs to limit the need for aircraft auxiliary power units (APUs).
AND IN 2023
WHAT DO WE DO?
AGST is continuing and consolidating its management and knowledge of biodiversity by implementing the monitoring and observation protocols recommended by the association.
Preservation actions have been deployed, such as this initiative to protect the Diane butterfly’s egg-laying area.
Towards a certification process …
An AEROBIO label was created in 2021 to recognize the work and commitment of airports involved in the Aéro Biodiversité approach. It is based on 4 criteria (Biodiversity management, Employee investment, Territorial anchoring and Communication) and has 3 levels of requirement.