Embiez Island has been developed āin harmony with natureā in order to transform it into an āideal place to relax and enjoy a holiday”
Thanks to his intuitive vision of responsible tourism, Paul Ricard has developed Embiez Islandāin agreement with natureā in order to transform it into an āideal place to relax and enjoy a holiday, with all it takes to be happy.ā
His wish is still respected nowadays by his successors, who want to make Embiez a model of sustainable island living. The island is now classified as a bird refuge by the French Bird Protection Society and its entire periphery forms part of the Natura 2000 network. Cars are banned on the island and the port of St-Pierre, which has been awarded certification as a clean harbour, was built at the location of former salt works, thus limiting its impact on the Mediterranean Sea.
The Paul Ricard Institute of Oceanography was created to fight sea pollution and has been focusing over the last 50 years on improving the quality of coastal waters and preserving emblematic Mediterranean species while sensitising more than 50,000 visitors every year.