Pierre Dubreuil, Director General of the OFB, and Pascal Grizot, President of the ffgolf - © French Office for Biodiversity

This agreement signed between the French Biodiversity Office and the French Golf Federation is part of the agreements that bind the ffgolf with the Water Agencies, and with the ministries in charge of Sports, Ecological Transition, and Agriculture and Food since 2019 through the “Golf and Environment” Framework Agreement.

It also completes the partnership that the ffgolf has maintained since 2016 with the Mixed Natural Heritage Service Unit (UMS Patrinat), under the joint supervision of the OFB, for the implementation of its policy of knowledge and preservation of its natural heritage, in particular around the Golf Program for Biodiversity (PGB).

This agreement responds to one of the OFB's missions: to mobilize all stakeholders for the preservation of biodiversity and encourage them to adopt good practices. For its part, the ffgolf has been undertaking actions in favor of ecological transition since 2004.

The president of the ffgolf, Pascal Grizot, at the head of the Federation since December 2020, has decided to make the ecological transition one of the three pillars of his term of office:

“The interactions between the game of golf and its environment are probably among the strongest of all sports. Golf and the environment are inseparable. No one route is like another because nature is an essential component of its identity. It is part of its tradition, it has forged its character and writes its history, it often dictates the game and provides the pleasure of practicing, in the open air, all year round, everywhere in the world, the most sought-after individual sport of the planet. We know that this rich and beautiful nature is also under threat. For a long time, we have been committed to preserving it and making golf courses part of the solution. Our golfing areas are and will always be more and more assets for the protection of biodiversity. "

Go further thanks to the OFB

The Director General of the OFB, Pierre Dubreuil, insists on the role of outdoor sports in the preservation of biodiversity:

“The OFB supports all stakeholders, private and public, towards practices that are more respectful of biodiversity. Nature sports and their federations are the subject of our full attention, due to their particular impact on the environment and biodiversity. They bring together outdoor enthusiasts, who must be made aware of the impact of their leisure time on nature in order to better control them. Golf is therefore a particular sport in terms of environmental impact: use of water resources, use of phytosanitary products, etc.

Sa reputation is not always excellent in terms of environmental footprint. But solutions exist, initiatives are taken and must be better known and shared. We welcome the efforts that the ffgolf has started and that it wishes to continue. We will be there to support it with our expertise, but also to measure the results of this desire ”.

"The idea is to work even more in partnership and in good understanding with the institutions contributing to the ecological transition", enlightens Sylviane Villaudière, Vice-President of the ffgolf in charge of ecological transition before adding: “Our objective is to accelerate the protection of biodiversity on golf courses by relying on the expertise of the OFB. "

What does the convention contain?

The agreement allows the ffgolf and the OFB to share experiences, tools and knowledge in order to develop more virtuous golf operating practices, all for the benefit of a global and ambitious strategy for the preservation and restoration of biodiversity and water resources.

It includes three axes :

• support the ecological transition of golf courses with the participation in innovative research and experiments, the sharing of good practices, methodologies and scientific data, and also by improving the consideration of the protection of biodiversity in all golf activities;
• To raise awareness, not only to biodiversity issues but also to the reasoned management of water resources. This desire to raise awareness concerns both the operators of golf courses and the players who frequent them;
• assess and publicize the strengths of French golf courses with regard to the preservation of biodiversity.

« We must make the most of the fundamental role of golf courses on these issues, insists Pascal Grizot, President of the ffgolf. Golfing areas are not only sports grounds, they are reservoirs of biodiversity. »

How will this be reflected in concrete terms?

Concluded for a period of four years, this agreement provides for the realization, by the ffgolf, of a guide enabling each club to have a summary document of the applicable legislation and the obligations of golf courses, particularly in terms of water management and biodiversity conservation. Guide for which the OFB will provide its expertise.

The ffgolf will also contribute to the work of the OFB for the establishment indicators for measuring pressures on biodiversity and monitoring changes in biodiversity at the territorial level. She is already fully involved in these matters.

Thus, on September 6, during the World Conservation Congress in Marseille, the ffgolf was recognized by the OFB as a "Partner committed to nature" in particular thanks to its commitment with the Golf Label for Biodiversity and the awareness of these issues among young golfers.

The ffgolf also wishes to develop the participation of golf courses in awareness-raising events for the general public. In addition, the ffgolf like the golf courses themselves will benefit from the support of the OFB for experiments in several types of territory, for example for the commitment to convert flora with lawns that are more resistant to disease and consume less water. Finally, ffgolf and golf courses will be able to register in the funding programs of the OFB where relevant. These are all tools that will help accelerate the preservation of biodiversity on all French golf courses.

To know more : https://www.ffgolf.org/

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