The S3V set up its Environmental Observatory in 2013. This tool allows us to bring together all our environmental actions and studies. All members of the Observatory Steering Committee can consult the data, including environmental protection associations.
Missions
The initial missions of the Environmental Observatory focused on biodiversity: to better understand it, monitor it, and preserve it in our ski areas. More specifically, this involves:
- Identify and map biodiversity
- Monitoring the evolution of natural environments over time
- Informing planning decisions
- Promote consultation and awareness
- Contributing to the sustainable management of ski areas
Each year, inventory campaigns are carried out by an independent environmental consulting firm. These inventories take place either as part of development projects or for specific needs of the Observatory.
In practice, ecologists survey our mountain areas during favorable periods (spring, summer, and autumn) depending on the target species. They identify various species and characterize the natural habitats present. This natural history data is then integrated into our mapping database to quickly identify biodiversity issues. Since May 2025, we have enhanced our expertise by internalizing geomatics capabilities, allowing us to be more efficient in integrating and using this data.
- 4784 ha
- covered by inventories
- 85 %
- of the 2 ski areas
- 37
- animal species
- 14
- protected plant species
- 101
- different types of natural habitats
- 70 ha
- of community natural habitats of priority interest Natura 2000
- 350 ha
- protected areas on the ski area
Today, we use the Environmental Observatory as a true catalyst for all our environmental actions, with variations on water, wetlands, climate, and landscapes.
The diagram below presents the Observatory's main areas of focus.
Management
A steering committee bringing together environmental institutions (Departmental Directorate of Territories, DREAL, Vanoise National Park), the environmental consulting firm MDP consulting, the National Forestry Office, the Hunting Federation 73, the Alpine Economy Society and the Chamber of Agriculture 73, the National Botanical Conservatory of the Alps, local associations (Vivre en Tarentaise, France Nature Environnement, the League for the Protection of Birds) is meeting to discuss the actions carried out in the past year and those to come.
