BiodiverCiné

France

Introduction

BiodiverCiné is a young festival born out of a desire to raise public awareness of local and societal biodiversity issues in an entertaining, artistic and… scientific way! The Pays Loire Beauce and its local councillors have decided to implement an overall strategy to preserve and improve local biodiversity over a 10-year period (2021-2031). This strategy is based on 4 axes:

– Area I: diagnostics and studies

– Area II: Raising awareness among local stakeholders

– Area III: operational actions

– Area IV: monitoring actions

As part of Axis II, Pays Loire Beauce is launching the BiodiverCiné festival over 3 years (2021-2023). This festival combines artistic and scientific perspectives in order to raise awareness of a particular theme linked to biodiversity. Audiovisual, performing arts and scientific cultural players are joining forces to work with the Pays Loire Beauce to raise awareness of biodiversity.

Presentation of the project

Firstly, the Pays Loire Beauce’s local development strategy for the LEADER 2014-2022 programme period has its roots in the challenges of the ecological and energy transition.One of the objectives of this strategy, entitled “Energy, water and biodiversity at the heart of a territorial dynamic, driving the energy and ecological transition”, is to take into account the impact of climate change on our society, and then to address the challenges of biodiversity, which include preserving environments and habitats in order to protect species of flora and fauna.With this in mind, we got together to set up a project to raise public awareness. Our idea was to organise a festival that would promote biodiversity as a central element of environmental issues, while adding artistic, entertaining and scientific aspects. So we approached a number of cultural and scientific partners. Initially, we turned to the Valimage association, which would take care of the audio-visual side of the festival, programming a number of short films, including a work by an artist. Secondly, we joined forces with the Fous de Bassan theatre company! To include a performing arts component with the creation of a show. Finally, on the scientific side, we approached a number of associations renowned for their expertise and knowledge of environmental issues, namely Hommes et Territoire, FREDON and Loiret Nature Environnement.These associations took it in turns to lead a debate on biodiversity during the BiodiverCiné festival.LEADER also played a crucial role in coordinating the various players in the area, encouraging them to work together to develop a joint project. This collaborative approach has been a key factor in our success, mobilising local resources, harnessing diverse skills and creating synergy between local players. LEADER played a key role by providing financial support, which enabled us to expand the scope of our project. As a result, we were able to extend the festival to nine towns in the area, reaching a much wider audience. As a result, we’ve been able to design a project that goes beyond the boundaries of individual communes, reinforcing the unity of the Pays Loire Beauce area.

The emblematic character of the project

This project is central to the local development strategy of the Pays Loire Beauce. Our strategy is underpinned by the challenges of ecological and energy transition. We need to adapt our lifestyles to meet the challenges of climate change.The BiodiverCiné project represents the local authority’s response to changing behaviour in order to meet the environmental challenges.These challenges represent the future, and for us they are a priority, which justifies their inclusion as a fundamental pillar of our strategy, making them a priority for LEADER. The BiodiverCiné project stands out for its mission to raise public awareness. Our major challenge was to provide in-depth knowledge of environmental issues, climate change and, more specifically, the benefits of biodiversity for our region. The reproducible nature of our project makes it an ideal application for other LAGs. Our festival was spread over nine municipalities, which meant that we had to put in place a replicable methodology. As a result, we have drawn up a roadmap that can serve as a guide for other LAGs wishing to organise a similar event in their own area. This would enable awareness-raising initiatives to be disseminated on a much wider scale.

Pictures