Ocean Friendly Gardens

The Ocean Friendly Gardens programme considers urban landscapes and streets as solutions to combat pollution in aquatic environments.
As the primary natural filters, soil, flora and fauna must be preserved and developed in urban areas.
The creation of rain gardens optimises water management at the plot level.

A source of problems

Aquatic environments are regularly polluted downstream from urbanised areas. Soil sealing prevents rainwater from infiltrating the ground.
The rainwater runs off and is partly collected by sewage systems which, when saturated, discharge untreated wastewater laden with pollutants into aquatic environments.
Many other pollutants are released into the natural environment as a result of leaching from impermeable soils (hydrocarbons, heavy metals, etc.). These pollutants have harmful consequences for humans and the environment: vulnerability of bathing waters, closure of beaches, degradation of natural environments and biodiversity, etc.

The watershed,
the receptacle for our pollution

80% of ocean pollution comes from the continent, i.e. from watersheds, and is carried by water.
Taking sustainable action to protect the oceans therefore means acting at the source of the problem.

The ocean, the coastline and, more generally, water quality are markers and reflections of our societies.
Faced with the challenge of climate change, it is important for regions to be resilient and for development projects to be sustainable and accepted by the population.

In the Aquitaine pilot region (Biarritz), the consequences are already visible:

• Vulnerability of bathing waters;
• Degradation of soils and natural aquatic environments;
• Degradation of biodiversity;
• Submersion;
• Beach closures;
• Increased risk of flooding;
• Increase in heat islands.

Towards sustainable
rainwater management

Through the Ocean Friendly Gardens programme, the Surfrider Foundation aims to promote more sustainable rainwater management based on the principle of plot-by-plot management. This involves managing water as close as possible to where it falls and capitalising on its recovery (saving, storing, distributing, infiltrating and purifying).
Each plot is thus considered as a ‘small watershed’ where water should be optimised in harmony with local landscape and technical specificities, including uses, rainfall volume, soil type, sun exposure, topography and surface area.

This programme aims to improve urban stormwater management by promoting good development practices and sustainable alternatives, in particular through the creation of eco-friendly rain gardens.

This development will promote water flow regulation, reduce downstream water volumes, encourage soil infiltration, contribute to water purification and have direct and indirect beneficial effects on the environment.