Elected officials studied the maintenance of the woods of Boulogne and Vincennes for 4 months and at the end of this examination provided a list of 68 recommendations to preserve them.
The stakes are high for the city. With 20 million visitors annually, the Bois de Boulogne (16th) and Vincennes (12th) are considered the green lungs of Paris. It is “a set of protected natural sites, rich in precious biodiversity”, recalls the Information and Evaluation Mission (MIE) chaired by Valérie Montandon (LR).
In their report, the 21 Parisian elected officials, majority and opposition united in this MIE, propose to Anne Hidalgo, 68 avenues to improve wood management. The emphasis is placed in particular on the protection of the sound environment and on the regulation of tree cutting, a subject on which the town hall is criticized by environmental defense associations.
The opposition group Changer Paris (LR and related) demands “the definitive end of clear cutting of trees”. They propose “to experiment, on one or more plots, with management using irregular high forests with continuous cover”. This method of silviculture favors “progressive regeneration by cutting down mature trees” and gives the impression “that we are not felling too many trees at the same time”underlines the report.
Another controversial subject, the space given in the two woods, of 846 and 995 hectares respectively, to major events: the MIE recommends a “protocol” to measure the‘”environmental and behavioral impact of major events”.
In the sights is the We Love Green festival, installed since 2017 within the Bois de Vincennes grounds. This festival welcomes around 30,000 people per day over three days in the spring. He is “criticized by numerous associations which denounce noise pollution during the bird breeding season”recalls the MIE.
The management of the festival, which defines itself as “ecologically committed”nevertheless has “makes numerous efforts to limit as much as possible the nuisance it generates” and is seeking a new site with city hall, the report states.
In this 135-page report, elected officials consider that “the two woods do not occupy the place that should be theirs”. They deplore their lack of accessibility, cleanliness or point out the question of security, particularly in the evening.
The list of recommendations is long. Elected officials are calling for the creation of public transport shuttles to facilitate access to the woods, the study of new surfaces in order to replace tarmac roads with eco-responsible materials, the installation of intelligent lighting to improve user safety and the tranquility of wildlife, arrangements to make it easier for animals to cross roads, renovation of play areas and experimentation with barbecue points “as is done in many parks in Germany”the report says.
The report must be presented to the next Paris Council on May 21. The mayor of Paris will then have the possibility of implementing, or not, these proposals.
