Public-private partnership for watershed protection
Clermont-Ferrand, France
Société des Eaux de Volvic (SEV) is a subsidiary of Danone, a leading global food company. SEV produces the natural mineral water Volvic, which comes from Auvergne, a region in France at the heart of the Chaîne des Puys-Limagne Fault, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Natural Site. To preserve the quality of this natural mineral water, Volvic co-created in 2006 the Environmental Committee for the Protection of the Volvic Impluvium (CEPIV), a public-private partnership with the four municipalities of the impluvium (catchment area) and local stakeholders. Its mission is to develop actions to enable local development, while protecting the impluvium and its biodiversity.
Challenges: The catchment area from which Volvic draws water covers 3,800 hectares. Forest covers 60 percent of it, while the remaining 30 percent is heath and prairie. Most of the forested area (86 percent) is privately owned and unmanaged. Agricultural land is mainly pasture, supporting extensive cattle raising (mostly for meat production, as well as dairy). While no significant problem regarding groundwater has yet been observed, Volvic has been committed to operating in a sustainable way by taking actions for the environment, preserving biodiversity, and implementing a management strategy to prevent future risks. Regulations regarding mineral water in France dictate that Volvic maintain a constant mineral content, which calls for implementing measures to prevent contamination of water resources.
Financing: Financial support to the programs comes from CEPIV member partners, including SEV and the municipalities. Other funding sources have included the state (for example, for the purchase of machinery or support for conversion to organic agriculture) and a grouping of municipalities. Financial support covers investments (sometimes collective) as well as operating costs (such as for shared equipment) and service costs (for example, advisory services for fertilisation. Local economic incentives and investments have been an important change factor for agricultural practices in the area, as these changes needed to be economically attractive for the farmers. The process also needed to be participatory and leave freedom of choice to the farmers. The public-private partnership does not include regular payments for ecosystem services, however, as it could be too costly for local public authorities to maintain such payments over time.
©jean-michel cames /TNC Photo Contest 2019
Actions and impacts: Since 2006, SEV initiated a water catchment strategy in its impluvium through a public-private partnership with the CEPIV. The partnership focuses on conserving the whole resource system, including groundwater resources, forests, and farmland, through solutions that benefit local communities. It has three main action areas: preserving the natural environment and biodiversity; developing environmentally friendly agricultural practices, including transition to organic farming; and promoting careful planning and management of villages, roads, and railways infrastructures.
Since its creation, the CEPIV has sought to preserve biodiversity in the catchment and taken concrete actions in that respect, including by sponsoring— financially and technically—NGOs that work on preserving the rich biodiversity in the area. For example, CEPIV has a longstanding partnership with the League for the Protection of Birds to protect the red kite, and a partnership with BeeOdiversity measures, through the settlement of beehives and the collection of pollen samples, the environmental quality of the area.
The CEPIV has also supported changes in agricultural practices by providing local farmers with financial, scientific, and technical support to help them implement sustainable practices for crop and land management. Additionally, it supports them with their transition towards organic agricultural practices. The CEPIV also provides funding for the transformation of agricultural effluents into compost and the protection of watercourses. Similar approaches have been adopted by other Danone water brands, such as evian, Badoit and La Salvetat.
Although only 10 percent of the area is built up, the CEPIV also works with residents and communities to ensure infrastructures protect the environment. These actions have focused on sanitation, as well as traffic and energy network management across the whole area. For instance, the CEPIV concluded a partnership with the French National Railway Company (SNCF) to maintain the railway tracks in the source area mechanically and without the use of chemicals. The CEPIV is also working on implementing and financing road improvements to limit the risk of accidents and resulting pollution in the catchment area.
References
- Chervier, C., Déprés, C. H2020 Pegasus Project. Case Study, “Volvic” (France).
- Volvic Water Catchment Protection, Connecting Nature website.
PEGASUS. (n.d.). The Volvic Watershed Partnership.
©Serge Melesan/TNC Photo Contest 2022
