You have full access to this open access article. A key component of the environment in coastal territories, the sea also creates special geographical features and grounds social and cultural identities. Relying on the concept of maritimity, defined as all the relationships binding human societies to the sea and the resulting landscape, economy and culture, we assess the maritime character of a coastal region in southern France by analysing the local seaβrelated associations its population are engaged in.
This is made possible through the supervised extraction of the relevant data from the national directory of associations, the official database of non-profit associations in France, which are then given appropriate statistical and cartographic treatments.
These are consistent with the social and economic profile of the region, highly engaged in tourism and a residential economy. The sea is a component of the environment that bestows a distinctive value on coastal areas. In addition to being part of the landscape, it connects territories with the larger world through maritime navigation, provides them with specific resources, shapes human communities and contributes to their maritime character.
Today, the sea is on the political agenda of most political-administrative entities having a coastline in Europe countries, regions, local authorities. However, it can be difficult to implement these policies, which raises the question of the maritimity of the people and territories concerned. Often, there is resistance to and conflict over projects and initiatives promoting offshore renewable energies Haggett et al. This is due to divergent representations of the sea, including high seas, involving distinct visions and ambitions for its management Pereira et al.
Even though public statistics on maritime employment and population concentration on the coast or coastal tourism provide information on these links, assessing and understanding the maritimity of a territory and its population remains difficult. This frequently neglected aspect of marine and coastal policy requires new approaches. The aim of this article is to provide guidance for assessing the maritime character of a coastal region, by studying local NGOs hereafter associations linked to the sea and that may or may not aim to influence public action.
