The idea is not new, but here it is relaunched. “We are carrying the project to classify the harbor of Marseille as a UNESCO World Heritage Site”, declared Benoît Payan on the occasion of the opening ceremony of the World Conservation Congress (IUCN) which was held in Marseille. . In 2002, the municipality of Jean-Claude Gaudin had already attempted the adventure. The project then aimed to classify the entire maritime façade of Marseille, from Corbières in the north to the Madrague de Montredon in the south, i.e. just before the creeks. Certain sectors of the rear facade were also included, such as the Panier district, La Canebière, Boulevard Longchamp and its palace. The islands of the Frioul archipelago as well as that of the Planier lighthouse were concerned. An application retoque by the UN branch.
“In 2002, the conditions were not met”, considers Hervé Menchon, current deputy for the coast and biodiversity of the mayor of Marseille. “Today the look on the city has changed and this request comes logically in conclusion,” said the elected whose team intends to put the sea back in the heart of Marseille. “For too long, we considered that only the southern coast [les calanques] was worthy of interest, ”he regrets. With the ambition of a double blow in the event of classification: “remarketing” of the entire coastline and therefore the decongestion of the creeks. A tough bet.
“The nomination cannot be resubmitted”
That said, it is not certain that the city has the right to a second candidacy. “If the committee decides that a property should not be inscribed on the World Heritage List, the nomination cannot be resubmitted to the committee, except in exceptional circumstances”, it is written. in the fundamental texts of the organization. Exceptional circumstances which may include “new discoveries, new scientific information on the property, or various criteria not presented in the initial nomination”, specifies Unesco.
Not enough to dismantle the municipality which must meet this Thursday around the mayor to work on this candidacy, judged severely by Didier Réault, president of the calanques national park and vice-president in charge of nature and biodiversity in the metropolis. “An announcement out of the hat” which “did well in the speech”, made moreover “without having spoken about it, neither to local communities, nor to economic and associative actors”, he adds.
“Our Eiffel Tower cannot be seen, it is under water”
But in the radius of “exceptional circumstances”, the new administration could however have some cards to play, starting with a new definition of the perimeter. With, possibly the integration of the Calanques National Park, created in 2012. Then, that of a park of nearly 400 reefs, the last count of which, carried out on September 4, shows “an extraordinary growth in biomass”, advance Hervé Menchon. A book that makes him say: “our Eiffel Tower cannot be seen, it is under water”. Finally, the prospect of the 2024 Olympic Games, in which Marseille will host the nautical events and which will give rise to the creation of the Roucas Blanc nautical stadium and a “living basin”, a nursery for fish and a refuge for biodiversity. Also, the ambition to make the district a Frioul into an eco-district.
Be that as it may, putting together a UNESCO nomination file is a long process that can take 10 years to complete. The next session of the committee in charge of studying them will meet in July 2022 and will examine the candidacies submitted before January 31, 2020. There is therefore no rush, and this especially if the city of Marseille has the right to a second luck for its harbor, it will certainly not be necessary to count on a third.