Contributing to Scientific Knowledge in the Context of Industrial Project: The GIS Eolien en Mer
摘要
The authorizations of construction of Dieppe Le Tréport offshore wind farm (OWF) include a commitment to set up a Scientific Interest Group (Groupement d’Intérêt Scientifique in French, GIS). The GIS Eolien en Mer, launched in February 2020, is made up of 26 partners, including universities, public institutions, associations and private compagnies. It is composed of a Scientific Council and a Steering Comity and has its own dedicated budget. Its main objectives are to review the mandatory environmental monitoring of the OWF, to improve knowledge of the Eastern English Channel with environmental and socio-economic studies and to communicate on all the results. In 2020, members of the GIS evaluated the protocols of the environmental reference state of the windfarm and reviewed the results in 2023. Before construction, the studies and partnerships focus mainly on top predators, defining long term methods using environmental DNA and prediction of the ecosystems through food webs model. During construction, socio-economic and telemetry of fish will also be investigated. Data collected are meant to be valued in large scale projects to consider ecosystem that are much larger than OWF area. The GIS Eolien en Mer appears as an innovative way for public and private cooperation and continuous exchanges with different organizations to improve knowledge on the impact of offshore windfarms.