Compagnie des Alpes // 2020 Universal Registration Document
4 STATEMENT OF NON-FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE Environmental challenges
to developing joint and complementary initiatives for the preservation and restoration of natural habitats of heritage interest and ecological networks, such as: l observation campaigns and counts (birds and insects); l maintenance aimed at restricting the spread of bracken to promote the growth of heather, cutting back and removal by horses (carried out by CENP staff or agricultural colleges); l the creation of corridors to facilitate the movement of animals and vegetation from one area to another. Along similar lines, Parc Astérix has introduced on-site eco-grazing with a local company with the appropriate certification. The Parc Astérix Delphinarium team monitors veterinary health and behaviour regularly in collaboration with two vets and a scientist. The Delphinarium has set itself the target of monitoring the animals closely and responsibly. So Parc Astérix has helped set up an Animal Welfare Committee which meets twice a year. The work is published in an annual activity report which covers education, research and conservation activities. The qualifications and expertise of the Committee members are testament to its calibre: qualified CNRS, Paris 13, ENVA, MHNH and INRA researchers, animal keepers, vets and Parc Astérix managers. Lastly, since its creation, the Bellewaerde site (a member of EAZA) has been directly involved in the conservation of endangered species (European bison as well as Amur leopards and Asian giraffes) and has taken an active part in the programme to protect European bison (the largest mammal in Europe) and its reintroduction into the wild. Catering at the Leisure parks Revenue from catering activities accounts for a significant portion of Compagnie des Alpes’ total revenue and the whole Leisure parks revenue. As food and supply chains have potentially significant impacts on the environment (climate change, practices harming biodiversity, imported deforestation, etc.), the Group has launched a project (within its France scope in 2020) to improve the indirect impact of its supply on biodiversity. This has required it to consider actionable short- to medium-term improvement solutions. The areas for improvement, some of which are already under way, focus on: l introducing greener menu choices with vegetarian options; l using more eco-label products or suppliers who have undertaken to respect the environment or have put progress actions in place; l favouring local products (locally sourced material, local processing) at the country or regional level, and the promotion of ultra-local producers (< 200 km). Finally, l since 2018 Compagnie des Alpes has required that all eggs and egg-containing products in France come from free-range poultry; l in 2020, the origin of the centralised supply of broiler chickens to French farms changed significantly to reach 95% from France. 83% of the volumes purchased are purchased from a supplier that implements the Nature d éleveur initiative in terms of animal welfare. As part of the Group’s sustainable food approach, the supply of broileo chickens will focus more on purchases under signs of quality in this purchasing category.
They allow the Group to monitor the impact of its operations and development on all aspects of the environment, on flora, fauna, landscape and specific biotopes (wetlands and habitats). Depending on the specifics of the site, some supplement the base figures with geology or forest inventories. Using information from external ecological experts, they now compose useful tools to help them understand the area and, through this, biodiversity preservation. For a development project, for example, the Observatory provides environmental data about the area, enabling environmental considerations to be factored in during the draft project phase by, for instance, adapting the scope or periods of work to avoid its impact on certain species or reducing the impact on an area. The Observatory also helps to monitor the compensation and remedial measures put in place for development projects. Between 2007 and 2020, on the basis of fauna and flora data obtained during 1,085 voluntary prospecting visits, the Group’s observatories mapped: l 14,600 GPS coordinates for the stations of 68 species of flora of heritage interest; l 22,800 GPS coordinates of fauna observations, concerning an average of 225 species per ski area, of which 93 are protected species. The Observatory also provides a forum for discussion and collaboration with many stakeholders on a wide range of projects: l bird display system on cable sections of sensitive ski lifts, zoning for resting and breeding of gallinaceae, species counting, setting up defences to preserve habitats, research programme on the behaviour of certain species in the ski areas with GPS tracking, protected species tracking, etc. ; l post-work revegetation by turf cutting to optimise recovery, or trail sowings suitable for high-altitude environments using Phytosem seeds which offer us more diverse mixes of local species, including a minimum of 20% Végétal Local certified seeds. With regard to land use, the Ski areas use a small surface area of the concession area for ski slopes: the surface area of the slopes represents on average 5% of the total surface area. The rest of the area is left in its natural state or used outside the winter season by farmers (mainly pasture or forest land). The Leisure parks The Leisure park sites also have adapted natural spaces that they can use to increase visitors’ enjoyment. On average, the concrete surface area of the Leisure parks represents less than a quarter (23%) of the total surface area of the sites (based on seven out of eight sites (1) ), and 40% of the spaces are reserved for green and blue areas in operation, the rest being preserved in their natural state with forest or marsh-type environments. The most affected of the Leisure parks is Parc Astérix as the site comprises a series of moors and meadows on sand, which is part of an eco-unit (one of the most beautiful in the Picardy region). For this reason, Parc Astérix and the Conservatoire des Espaces Naturels de Picardie (CENP – Board for the protection of natural spaces in Picardy) have signed a management agreement for the natural environment contained within the site (Bois de Morrière and Le Fossé de la Coque), covering approximately 60 hectares. They have committed
(1) Does not include Walibi Holland.
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Compagnie des Alpes I 2020 Universal registration document
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