The Ponant Islands Association was founded in 1971. It is an association of 15 islands situated off the west coast of France. To be a member of the Association, an island must fulfil the following conditions: it must not have a bridge, it must have permanent inhabitants and it must be a “Commune” with a municipal council. The members of the A.I.P. fulfil all of the above. There are about 16 000 inhabitants living all year long on these 15 islands.
There is a large diversity of situations :
The smallest island in terms of surface area is Sein with its 50 ha, the biggest one is Belle Ile, 8 500 ha
Two islands (BELLE-ILE and YEU) have 5 000 inhabitants, HOEDIC has just 120 inhabitants
Some islands are not far from the coast (1 or two miles) and others are farther away (12 miles….)
Some islands still have traditional activities such as farming or fishing or sailing…
Nowadays, tourism is an important element of the islands’ economy : each year, about two millions people visit the Ponant islands.
There are no specific laws or regulations for islands in France. The A.I.P. has been established by island mayors and a few members of the French Parliament.
The association is entirely devoted to island communities : it studies and helps the Communes, insular associations, professional groups or the simple individual in their enquiries or projects. Therefore, it is a perfect dialogue platform for all the protagonists in charge of islands.
The objectives of the A.I.P. are to reduce the handicap of insularity, to promote economic development and to protect the environment. Its staff is a small team of two people whose roles are multifarious : implementing the Committee’s (composed of the mayors of the islands) and the General Assembly’s policies, giving information and initiating contacts with island related structures. To stay operational, it still depends on subsidies allocated by the Regional Council of Brittany (there are 12 islands in this region), the European Funding structure –FEDER-, the “Departments” and the island Communities.
At the beginning of the A.I.P., a major emphasis was placed on the public facilities with a collective financial support of the State, the “Departments”, the Regions and later on, Europe : transport and communications (harbour, piers…), water supply and water treatment plans, public services such as schools, public health…
So, today, each island has basic equipments and services but it is difficult to maintain these at a good level.
A lot of actions have been carried out as agricultural diversification, aquaculture development, support activities for fishing, education and training programs, tourism communication and promotion.
During these last thirty years, insular populations have not varied too much. There is a slight decrease on the smallest islands. But, the most important and worrying fact, is that people living on these islands are getting older and older.
Therefore, there are actually three main problems to deal with. These problems are all related to the great success, tourist speaking, the Ponant islands have encountered :
Housing young insular people. There are more and more summer houses on the islands (in some cases, it can reach 80 % of the total of island houses). Hence, housing is very expensive and difficult for young islanders. The cost of new buildings on islands is higher than on the mainland .
Creating local jobs. Tourism is a very seasonal and temporary activity. Island communities need jobs all along the year : traditional activities (farming, fishing, arts and crafts) and new activities .
Maintaining and managing the environment. Tourists seek for natural beauty and typical landscapes. Conservation of the insular wildlife and protection of the flora and fauna are highly necessary in order to reduce the negative effects of tourism. Islands need more environment friendly ways of development (energy, waste management , …).
