Soil protection

Soil, a fragile natural heritage, is the basis of life. Composed of minerals and organic matter manufactured by living beings (plants, animals, fungi) and other decomposers including micro-organisms. It takes hundreds of years to build up, and plays an essential role in the water, nitrogen and carbon cycles.

A veritable ecosystem, it is essential to plant growth and represents a habitat for numerous living species (springtails, earthworms, ants, fungi, etc.

Since 2006, the City of Montpellier has been committed to a "zero phyto" approach to the upkeep of its green and natural spaces, in order to protect health and the environment.

By opting for pesticide-free upkeep, we are making the choice of more environmentally-friendly management. In fact, pesticides contaminate soil, water and air, endangering human and animal health. What's more, they destroy biodiversity, essential to the proper functioning of ecosystems.

Choosing natural alternatives helps to:

• Preserve our health and that of all living organisms, as pesticide contamination occurs by inhalation and skin contact.
• Preserve biodiversity as pesticides eradicate all plants, undesirable grasses but also plantations.
• Protect the fauna and flora of cemeteries (bees, insects, snails...).
• Protect the environment and aquatic environments, as pesticides sprayed on grasses spread unintentionally everywhere, reducing soil fertility and leading to water pollution at the surface and in groundwater.

Mulch, made from organic matter, limits evaporation, reduces the need for watering and promotes soil life and plant growth.

Bare soil areas, often compacted by trampling, can be revitalized by adding green pruning waste and hardwood shredding.

To encourage soil life, it's important to leave organic matter on site: recycle green waste by shredding and reusing plant matter from prunings or clippings as mulch for flower beds, hedges and tree roots...

Asphyxiating mulching materials, such as plastic sheeting and impermeable coverings, are proscribed as they prevent the soil from breathing and regenerating.

Soil sealing involves removing impermeable materials covering the ground, such as concrete or asphalt, to allow rainwater to infiltrate naturally into the soil.

Small- and large-scale desilting projects are being implemented across the Metropolitan area. Soil sealing in cities is an essential practice for mitigating the negative impacts of urbanization on the environment and improving the living environment.

There are many advantages to desilting:

• Rainwater management: by allowing rainwater to infiltrate into the ground rather than run off onto impervious surfaces, desilting helps reduce the risk of flooding, particularly during heavy rainfall events.
• Recharging the water table: infiltrated water recharges the groundwater, helping to maintain adequate water levels in the soil and ensure drinking water supplies.
• Improving water quality: by filtering rainwater through the soil, desilting helps to reduce pollution in watercourses, notably by limiting the transport of pollutants present on the surface.
• Fighting heat islands: the vegetated surfaces created during desilting help to cool cities by absorbing heat and producing moisture.
• Fostering biodiversity: by creating more natural environments, desilting encourages the development of flora and fauna in cities.
• Improving the living environment: the green spaces created during desilting make cities more pleasant to live in by providing spaces for relaxation and leisure.

Bicycle paths, squares, parking lots, school playgrounds are all spaces that can be desealed.

As such, the Plan école 2030, which involves building, renovating and adapting Montpellier's schools, places great importance on greening school grounds.

This greening has been programmed at the Winston Churchill/Marceline Desbordes Valmore, Jacques Brel, Frank-Dickens and Baruch Spinoza elementary schools and at the Simone Signoret nursery school.

Soil sealing is an essential step in building more sustainable cities that are resilient in the face of climate change.