The Shoreline between Nature and Society, a Changing Heritage - Vulnerability of Coastal Ecosystems and Adaptation - page 214

also produced as the consequences of so many excesses by the
anarchical urbanization of the coasts and shores that were being felt.
The report was supposed to implement a policy for the “natural third-
party or the wild third-party” so as to “conserve part of the coastal
area” and therefore advocated for people to buy land without selling it
further and to “ensure its management respectful of the practical
conditions close to its users”. These strong principles mark the origin
of the creation of the Protection Agency for coastlines and lakeshores
through an act on July 10, 1975. The Protection Agency was (and
remains) the strong arm of the State in terms of protection perceived
not only as defending sensitive areas, and restoring degraded
environments, but also as opening up to the public under the
responsibility in particular of territorial collectives. In this, this public
body differs from British practices with the National Trust that served
as its original inspiration. It is mainly dedicated to the protection of
nature and has progressively acquired such a power of influence
(indeed, it can be assumed today that most of the territorial collectives
adhere to its principles and even anticipate potential requests) that it is
an essential tool for conservation, in the more positive sense of the
term; heritage conservation that encompasses both nature and all the
elements that make up a coastal “landscape” where the presence of
man contributes to cultural enrichment. The Coastal Protection
Agency is leading the way, and many States are trying to follow the
example by asking its experts for advice: from this point of view,
the definition of a policy based on heritage values is supported by the
existence of a dynamic and respected scientific advisor group. The
results of the Protection Agency, at the dawn of the 21st Century, are
very encouraging, even though we are still far from the concept of
protected “natural third-party” (on January 1, 2011, 138,000 hectares,
1,200 km of coastline and more than 600 sites show undeniable
progress). So, the Protection Agency is the tool in France for an
ambitious policy traditionally rooted in the action of the State and
regulation; it is the result of the implementation of the Coastal law
through a few articles and has reinforced the protection (or even the
preservation) of some ecosystems and environments both “terrestrial
and marine, of remarkable sites and landscapes or characteristics of
the natural and cultural coastal heritage” (for instance, Article L 146-
6). Figure 5.9 shows an example of the characteristics of the Corsican