Society for Conservation Biology

Some ICCB-ECCB attendees were met by a handful of protesters as they entered Park Meric in Montpellier to attend the closing party. The protesters were there to urge partygoers to turn away, arguing (erroneously) that the large event would damage the park’s biodiversity and undermine their wishes to protect biodiversity in the park. But what culminated with a plea to scientists to abandon the closing party they paid to attend was in fact local unease about political decisions.

 

Parc Meric in Montpellier on the night of the ICCB-ECCB closing party. By day residents use this portion of the park to exercise their dogs.

A few neighborhood residents objected to the exceptional decision by the city of Montpellier to open a portion of the park for the ICCB-ECCB closing party. The driving force behind the protest was concern that the city’s decision would set a precedent for similar events, and what that could mean for the park and the surrounding neighborhood.

Short on facts to support claims that the party would damage the park’s biodiversity, protesters used an emotion-based argument to convince attendees to stay away. Like most stories, this one is more complicated than what can be printed on a flyer or told from just one point-of-view.

 

We want to reassure you that we took extra care to minimize our impact but let us explain.

 

Park Meric is a public garden owned and managed by the city council of Montpellier. Part of the park is open to the public with various paths, a dog garden, a forested area with centuries- old trees and a riverside bush. It is under soft management in order to “rewild” the place (especially a huge wildflower meadow). The other part encompasses an historic house, a British garden and a small forest is closed to the public.

 

Initially planned at Park Montcalm, a former sport area for the French army, the ICCB-ECCB closing party was relocated to Park Meric by the city council two weeks prior to the Congress. We received all the necessary permits from the municipality and consulted the Biodiversity, Parks and Gardens service as well as local conservation scientists on biodiversity issues. None identified key issues related to biodiversity and the event. However, to avoid any unforeseen problems and disrupting the meadow, we set up the closing party in the dog park.

 

The ICCB-ECCB closing ceremony was organized by Artist O'Chap, a young persons organization dedicated environmental action with a strong emphasis on the relationship between art, education and science. The group supports sustainable alternatives in agriculture and food provision.

What were the biodiversity concerns? 
There was no real biodiversity conservation concern in this urban park. It is an “eco-jardin” (eco-garden) which is a soft label promoting responsible gardening with no pesticide and chemical inputs and involving the rewilding of some areas. It also promotes environmental education and the establishment of rules respectful of the local fauna and flora. In other French cities, “eco-jardin” will host outdoor events like Nantes and its music events.

Was there a risk of wildfire? 

The risk of wildlife fire is at its highest in summer in the whole Mediterranean region. The local authorities in charge of the local fire brigade were notified. We also paid a discreet security service to avoid unauthorized entrance, and keep an eye out for smokers or any signs of fire. Attendees were informed of the risk and a majority abstained from smoking.

 

Vendors sold locally sourced food and wine and dinner was provided by local farmers.

What was the level of noise pollution? 
The geographic configuration of Park Meric and limited population density reduced the noise pollution issuef. According to legislation, the band stopped playing at 1 am despite the crowd of cheerful conservationists. All of the attendees left the park in less than 30 min and by 3 am, most of the installation was dismantled. The next day, the Biodiversity, Parks and Gardens service came to officially check the venue and stated that it was in perfect condition.

How did we imagine the closing party? 
The party was organized by a young and green cooperative. The farmers that directly interacted with you, as well as the food, beer and wine served in the park travelled less than 60 km from production site. This allowed us to limit our carbon footprint while promoting local producers and organic foods. Although they had to bring vehicles in to carry heavy material, they did their best to protect the garden and limited their movements to the paths to avoid any unnecessary disturbances.

What seems to be the real issue? 
Party planning and the environment are highly controversial topics in Montpellier at the moment, with more than 56,000 students, growing complaints from residents and a highly criticized urban sprawl impacting regional biodiversity. Some residents would like to have a say in the establishment of rules for public gardens, but are not yet integrated in the governance system. Sadly, we did not have time to establish direct contact with the park’s users and local residents prior to the event due to the last minute change of venue. Although, they were informed by the local organizers through flyers, the municipality did not deal with the park’s user representatives as usual as these do not exist for Park Meric. This would have allowed us to minimize any misunderstandings about the kind of event we were organizing and to explain our approach to limit our environmental impact in the park.

How did we communicate with the protesters? 

Before the local organizers arrived on site, the protesters were intrusive and the local NGO catering the party had to inform the police who requested that the protesters stay out of the garden. The dialogue was reengaged later at the arrival of the local organizers and the protesters were offered the opportunity to voice their concerns at the party’s microphone. They were given an opportunity to participate to the post-party debriefing that occurred in September to help them clarify their position to the municipality. They agreed to the latter but refused to talk at the party. The meeting with the protesters’ representative allowed us to clarify the situation and to create a “Friends of the Park Meric” association to voice, as the park’s neighbors, their willingness to be integrated in the decision-making process of the city. They expressed regret that ICCB-ECCB attendees got caught up in the local disupute.

 

In brief, we believe that this party, despite a tense political context, was a success and we hope it will create a precedent. It is possible to think about conferences differently and plan a low cost and fun party with environmentally friendly approaches. We would like to take this opportunity to thank again the local organizers for making this party possible and our attendees for respecting the park and its neighbors. We hope you enjoyed the conference and the party, and we look forward to seeing you at future SCB events.