Normandie-Maine Regional Nature Park and Geopark

Revision of the Normandy-Maine Regional Nature Park charter: a positive assessment following consultation with local authorities

From 9 April to 9 August 2024, the consultation of local authorities within the study area of the Normandy-Maine Regional Nature Park has delivered its results. The aim of this process was to gather the opinions of the 14 communes, 4 départements, 7 partner towns and 16 public establishments for inter-communal cooperation on the new 2024-2039 Charter.

Massive support for the Charter

At the end of the consultation, 136 municipalities, representing 93,900 inhabitants and covering 257,789 hectares, approved the charter. This broad support validates the conditions of qualified majority required for the project to go ahead. On the other hand, 4 communes chose not to join or not to deliberate. These will nevertheless be included in the Park's potential classification perimeter, so as to preserve the possibility of joining the Park in the future. In addition to the municipalities, the 4 départements, 6 of the 7 partner towns and 15 of the 16 EPCIs have also given the green light.

What will the climate be like in the Park and Geopark in 2100?

In February 2024, the Park and Geopark published its initial results, the culmination of a lengthy project to model climate change at the local level. This commitment has since been pursued with the development of the modelling protocol, making the experiment transferable to other local authorities. The Park and Geopark has also applied the model to the 2100 timeframe within its territory.

A classification to understand climate change by 2100

After modelling the periods 2021-2050 and 2051-2070, the Park and Geopark has continued this work by modelling climate change over the period 2071-2100. The results for 2100 show a widening gap in the effects of climate change between the intermediate scenario (RCP 4.5) and the IPCC's pessimistic scenario (RCP 8.5). Les résultats sont consultables sous forme de cartes interactives.

Trend indicators - pessimistic scenario RCP 8.5
Horizon 2100 compared with the reference period 1976 - 2005

+ 3,54 °C of average annual temperature

+ 47 days of summer per year - maximum temperature over 25 °C

+ 5.3 days of hot weather per year - Maximum temperature over 35° C

+ 15 tropical nights per year - Nights when the average temperature does not fall below 20°C

60+ days of heat waves per year - Number of days when the maximum daily temperature is more than +5 degrees above the maximum daily temperature for the reference period for more than 5 consecutive days

Extensive decision-making tools for the region's intermunicipal authorities

Initially, deliverables were published presenting figures and maps for the period 2051-2070 for each inter-municipality in the Park and Geopark area. Now, a second version of these deliverables has been published with data for the period 2071-2100, enabling the intermunicipalities to take this information into account in their development projects. Les livrables des deux périodes sont aussi consultables.

What happens next?

The regional councils of Normandy and Pays de la Loire voted in favour of the charter and the classification perimeters on 23 September and 1 October 2024 respectively. The complete file, including all the deliberations, will be sent to the Normandy coordinating Prefect for a legality check before being sent to the Ministry for Ecological Transition. The official decree classifying the Normandie-Maine Regional Nature Park could then be published by May-June 2025.