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Eco-design of Marine Infrastructures
 Series Editor
Françoise Gaill

Eco-design of Marine
Infrastructures

Towards Ecologically-informed
Coastal and Ocean Development

Sylvain Pioch
Jean-Claude Souche
First published 2021 in Great Britain and the United States by ISTE Ltd and John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as
permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced,
stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers,
or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms and licenses issued by the
CLA. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the publishers at the
undermentioned address:

ISTE Ltd John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

27-37 St George’s Road 111 River Street
London SW19 4EU Hoboken, NJ 07030
UK USA

www.iste.co.uk www.wiley.com

© ISTE Ltd 2021

The rights of Sylvain Pioch and Jean-Claude Souche to be identified as the authors of this work have been
asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021940543

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-1-78630-711-8
 Contents

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix

Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv

Chapter 1. Principles and Genesis of Maritime Eco-design . . . . . . . . . . 1

1.1. Principles of maritime eco-design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2. Definition of eco-design of marine infrastructures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.3. Japanese inspiration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.3.1. Influence of the Japanese vision for sea-friendly development projects . . 8
1.3.2. The Japanese Sato-umi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.3.3. Artificial marine habitats: Japanese origin of inspiration for eco-design. . 11
1.4. Assessing the effects of a project on the environment: the impact study . . . . 12
1.4.1. Designing a better project for the environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.4.2. Informing the administrative authority on the decision to be taken. . . . . 14
1.5. The “no net loss of biodiversity” objective: a regulatory obligation for
developers, an opportunity for eco-design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
1.6. Specificities of the environmental assessment related to the marine
environment: the “natural” public maritime domain concept . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
1.6.1. The natural public maritime domain, an essential concept . . . . . . . . . 19
1.6.2. Managing the marine environment: a necessarily integrated approach. . . 23

Chapter 2. Maritime Civil Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

2.1. General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

2.2. Typology of coastlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
2.2.1. Coastal classification and sea-level evolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
2.2.2. Sea-level fluctuations and coastline erosion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
vi Eco-design of Marine Infrastructures

2.2.3. Rocky shores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

2.2.4. Soft coastlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
2.2.5. Fine material shorelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
2.2.6. Coral bioconstructed coastlines and mangroves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
2.2.7. Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
2.3. Coastal defense works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
2.3.1. Main transverse structures: groins and jetties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
2.3.2. Main longitudinal structures: breakwaters and upper beach structures . . . 43
2.4. Port structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
2.4.1. Criteria for establishing a port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
2.4.2. Geographical location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
2.4.3. Economic criteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
2.4.4. Operating principles of ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
2.4.5. Typology of port structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
2.5. Design approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
2.5.1. The design methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
2.5.2. Ocean data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
2.5.3. Service actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
2.5.4. The usual design criteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
2.5.5. Geotechnical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
2.5.6. Data on construction materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
2.5.7. Synthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Chapter 3. Eco-design of Marine Infrastructures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

3.1. The evolution of research work towards the eco-design of marine structures . 90
3.2. The modernized approach to project management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
3.2.1. Eco-design actors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
3.2.2. Development and maturation of an eco-designed development project . . 103
3.3. The methodological approach to eco-design: responding to the
expressed need . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
3.3.1. Eco-design, an adapted technical response for engineers and
project managers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
3.3.2. Eco-design as a lever for modernizing the execution of works . . . . . . . 117
3.3.3. Monitoring, control, validation and satisfaction for the user and nature . . 121
3.4. Infrastructure as a new support for marine life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
3.4.1. Biophysical data of the environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
3.4.2. Integration of the infrastructure into an ecosystem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
3.4.3. Bio-inspiration and design of eco-designed structures . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
 Contents vii

3.5. Eco-design at the material level: the example of concrete . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

3.5.1. A little history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
3.5.2. Concrete, the state of the art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
3.5.3. Concrete formulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
3.5.4. The integrative eco-design of the performance approach:
perspectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Chapter 4. Evidence Through Experience: Examples of Eco-designed

Marine Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
4.1. Mayotte submarine pipeline: an initial eco-designed marine structure . . . . . 167
4.2. Bio-inspiration and nature-based solutions for artificial reef design . . . . . . 177
4.2.1. The value of creating artificial habitats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
4.2.2. The issue of fish habitat creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
4.3. The scope of port eco-design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
4.3.1. The concept of port eco-design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
4.3.2. Eco-design of the port of Guilvinec-Lechiagat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
4.3.3. Ecological structures designed as natural grass beds . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
4.3.4. “Calais Port 2015” port project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
4.4. Eco-design for coastal protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
4.4.1. Beneficial use of coastal sediment transport: the Sand Motor project . . . 192
4.4.2. The experience of the ECOncrete company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
4.4.3. Landscape redevelopment of the East Darling Harbour waterfront
in Sydney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
4.4.4. CLI’s experience with concrete dike shells: the need for eco-design . . . . 198
4.4.5. Eco-design of the Brest harbor breakwater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
4.5. Biomimetic artificial reefs in Corsica (Ajaccio) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
4.6. Artificial island eco-design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
4.6.1. The Monegasque government’s vision for the Principality of
Monaco’s offshore extension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
4.6.2. The genesis of the eco-design of the Monegasque artificial
peninsula project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
4.7. Eco-design of mooring systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
4.7.1. Eco-design of moorings for recreational vessels in Guadeloupe . . . . . . 217
4.7.2. Eco-design of moorings for large vessels and yachts as a solution for
the protection of the Mediterranean Posidonia meadow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
4.8. Eco-design of offshore viaduct piles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
4.9. Offshore wind farm project eco-design: multi-use perspectives . . . . . . . . . 236
viii Eco-design of Marine Infrastructures

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
 Foreword

Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is

tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Our planet and our ecosystems are in danger and we must act. Of course, we hear
this message every day and most of us are now aware of it. However, it is not easy
to exactly identify the different challenges ahead, and it is even less easy to act
accordingly.

Intended for a wide audience, this book can help provide answers. It presents,
through concrete examples and testimonies, an exhaustive state of the art allowing
everyone to better understand marine eco-design and the issues it addresses.
It also proposes a methodology for acting differently. Although this book is primarily
intended for technicians, engineers, scientists and students, it may be of interest to
anyone who is curious to see how we can “develop” by taking inspiration from
nature. For this book is not only the story of two men of art, it is also the work of
two marine enthusiasts who, for more than 30 years, have been working for the
preservation of the seabed; passionate people who have spent hundreds of hours in
the water observing, marveling at marine life and trying to understand the
combination of elements and the consequences on biodiversity. I have shared this
passion with them for many years.

Through this book, Sylvain and Jean-Claude, who are great professionals and
long-time friends, will share their universe with you. Through concrete experiences,
you will discover the marine world, see through their eyes the underwater biotope
and how to preserve it and perhaps feel its mysteries in order to reconcile what seems
irreconcilable: the human impact of a maritime infrastructure and the preservation of
biodiversity. Sylvain Pioch combines both a sixth sense of this wilderness and an
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x Eco-design of Marine Infrastructures

exceptional scientific knowledge. His ability to understand and predict the behavior
of fish and marine life will always amaze me. He is, at the same time, a renowned
professor, a researcher and a talented designer, recognized throughout the world.
Jean-Claude Souche is the one who makes it possible to transform concepts into
sustainable developments and infrastructures. Today, Jean-Claude is a professor at
IMT Mines Alès, a French engineering school, where he heads the civil engineering
and sustainable building department. His international experience in marine works,
his operational background as an engineer and doctor and his unwavering will to move
forward make him a valuable person. With their common conviction, on a
professional level, Sylvain and Jean-Claude are incredibly complementary. In this
book, they have produced a thorough work on the eco-design of marine
infrastructures, which for them is definitive work. This book highlights one of the great
challenges of our century, that of preserving marine biodiversity through our land use
planning policy and the construction of coastal and port infrastructures. The
protection of the environment in terms of maritime development is no longer based
on simple compensatory measures, but must, by definition for any project, preserve
and promote the development of life and its diversity. I am deeply convinced that
project owners, engineers, scientists and contractors can and must play a major role
in promoting biodiversity and thus protecting the marine environment. One of the
major challenges to come will be to know how to create industrial policies that are
economically efficient and respectful of our environment. It is no longer a question
of opposing environment and economy or human technology and nature, but, on the
contrary, of reconciling them. This requires skill and conviction. Even though
science and technology are not the only solution to the problems of today’s world, they
provide technical innovation that can lead to changes in human behavior. This is the
goal of this book, to allow as many people as possible to understand the stakes, to
act intelligently and, finally, to think differently.

Also, throughout these pages, I urge you to think about what we will leave to
future generations, I urge you to become the children of the Little Prince because it
is possible to change the world, provided we all change, provided we first change
ourselves.

Enjoy reading this book.

Régis DUMAY
Deputy Managing Director, Egis
 Preface

The distance of man’s emancipation from the sea is equal to the

distance of our cells from the composition of sea water.
Loren Eiseley

The purpose of this book is to strengthen the path towards a coastal maritime
management where civil maritime engineering is intimately linked with environmental
engineering, within a socio-ecosystem where humanity is an integral part of nature.
The multiple consequences of the mistreatment of nature by a denatured human will
not be discussed in this book. Indeed, it seems to us that the links between the
artificialization of the seabed, climate change, pollution, the introduction of invasive
species or the overexploitation of natural resources with a deregulated, predatory and
irresponsible anthropic activity for the future of ecosystems and the survival of
humanity (on our unique Earth) are obvious (IPBES 2019). Neither are we prophets,
as the concepts discussed here have already been the subject of modern works
(Belknap et al. 1967; Falque 1972; Tarlet 1977) or of older, empirical findings,
where humans have also illustrated themselves in their capacity for positive
interactions with nature (McHarg 1969; Lassus 2002).

The geographer and planner McHarg (1969)1 detected that in our current modern
societies (since the second half of the 20th century), technicists, industrialists and
urbanists have an attitude to the human that is dissociated, pre-Copernican and
dominant towards nature. The source of this segregative reflection is that we have
been fed by an ancient instinct of revenge towards nature, born of a 1,000-year-old
resentment of having held so little influence before nature. Psychoanalysts would

1 The work of McHarg in the area of landscape architecture, gathered in his famous Design with
Nature, served as a basis for our extrapolation to the submerged, underwater marine domain.
xii Eco-design of Marine Infrastructures

call this a “complex of cultural inferiority, with perverse aggressive tendency”, that
is, without consideration, nor empathy, nor feeling for the tormented object. This
conception of nature, which is the subject of our predation, would satisfy the desire
for primacy buried deep within the human being, for a long time inoffensive since
impossible to achieve technically. How can we make this resentment, which we
have historically inherited as a consequence of our environment, null and void? How
can we prevent it from poisoning the objective of survival and evolution of a human
who can now “stand up among the other forms of life” (McHarg 1969)? The
expression of our work on eco-design is rooted in our enthusiasm to assert our
talents as creators, rather than those of destroyers who are less worthy to represent
responsible humans, the managers of their environment and thus of their future.

This exercise is, moreover, made difficult by the Western conception founded on
an anthropocentrism disassociated with nature, notably spiritually (Berque 1986).
The oriental approach, for example, the Japanese approach using Tao, Shinto or Zen,
has sometimes ignored the human as an individual to focus on the human within
nature (the garden being the metaphysical symbol par excellence).

In short, two reverse postulates exist: in the West, the human at the expense of
nature, and, in the East, nature at the expense of the individual human. The third
view would be that of a balance, which does not mean a fusion, where the human is
considered as an individual, rather than as a species, within nature.

To date, however, this way has not been expressed in human “works” presented on
the maritime domain (principally the submerged part), which have never taken into
account natural facts in their intrinsic conception. It is the human against nature,
which is understood in maritime engineering as a vocabulary of work or technique:
works of defense against the sea, breakwaters, dikes, wave-breaking walls, seawalls,
dredging, etc.

On the contrary, land constructions have long been based on a local empirism
(the vernacular), allowing humans to observe nature and to settle there
harmoniously. The low stone walls follow the curves of hillsides where the
peasantry, better than any other profession, know by observation how to exploit and
manage the land. There are also our medieval “circulade” Mediterranean villages,
where the air circulates wonderfully and naturally refreshes the shaded alleys,
offering nesting boxes to swallows and swifts feasting on mosquitoes near the
houses. Contrast this with the modern suburbs on the outskirts of these same villages
which are asphyxiated, overheated by increasing heat waves and have often
disfigured the harmony of the landscape.
 Preface xiii

We are convinced that the construction of structures must be sensitive to the laws
and needs of nature, to ecosystems, to materials and forms adapted to human needs
and to the beauty of life, and thus offer sustainable achievements. Eco-design will
therefore be adapted to the place and will bring long-term benefits to humans and
nature. It is based on ecology, from the Greek oikos, or house, that is, the science of
the dwelling, an obvious prerequisite for any development whose objective is to
arrange with order (and according to the rules of ecology, of the human in nature)
human settlements, with a view to sustainable and desirable development: managing
life to ensure our survival.

The temptation and the drift towards a cosmetic nature, a simple green washing,
is always present, but a detailed knowledge of the natural functioning and of
the typical ecosystem for each site and each project, targeting an integration between
the ecological and aesthetic landscape, as well as an ecological follow-up of the
developments, are the guarantees to keep a good course. We will have at least tried
to advance the notion that the human can play the role of positive creator for their
environment, improving the biosphere with new symbioses of humans in nature.

In this work, we propose to focus on marine structures. Indeed, coastal

structures, although not specifically designed for this purpose, generate new biotopes
that are particularly attractive for coastal species at the juvenile stage: for example,
30–109 times more juveniles are welcomed on dikes and harbors than on natural
rocky habitats in the western French Mediterranean (Pastor 2008).

However, these ecological potentialities are ignored, or at best incidentally

recognized and very rarely enhanced by specific eco-designed and nature-inspired
infrastructures. Marine works are generally designed with regard to functional,
technical, economic or hydro-sedimentary marine environment considerations, not
as supports to maintain or increase marine biodiversity.

The objective is now to develop their functional aspects from an ecological point
of view so that the structure becomes a proactive element for the environment. It
becomes part of a dynamic ecosystem by creating habitats and ecological functions:
shelter for juveniles, feeding areas, habitats for fixed fauna and flora, etc.

This book first offers the reader two chapters related to the developments in the
fields of environmental regulation and maritime civil engineering, increasingly
expressing a social expectation towards the prefix “eco-”. Indeed, every planner must
design a facility in response to a functional and technical need, meeting regulatory
standards.
xiv Eco-design of Marine Infrastructures

However, beyond this “classic” approach to marine development projects, the

eco-design approach presented in Chapter 3 allows environmental impacts to be
taken into account from the technical definition of the works. The authors illustrate
this approach in Chapter 4 with practical examples that they have dealt with,
complemented by feedback from projects carried out according to these principles
and attempting to avoid running the risk of justifying avoidable projects by their
“green” appearance. It is always preferable to abandon a project if its negative
effects on the environment are unavoidable, because offset is a Trojan horse for the
development that is thus facilitated, as denounced by Firth et al. (2020): “Greening of
grey infrastructure should not be used as a Trojan horse to facilitate coastal
development.”

Sylvain Pioch
Jean-Claude Souche
July 2021
 Acknowledgments

This book is dedicated to our families: Élise, Guilhem, Céleste, Raphaëlle and
Julianne, and Sophie, Juliette, Rémi, Éloïse and Alexis, who are the driving force of
our lives. We would also like to thank all those who, through their lives, actions and
convictions, seek to build a fairer and more beautiful world where humankind will
be able to consider all the other forms of life on the planet of which it is only the
host.

This book is the compilation of 30 years of professional practice acquired as an

environmental engineer in planning and impact studies (S. Pioch) and as a civil
engineer (J.-C. Souche), then as lecturers and researchers in University Montpellier 3
and Mine Telecom Institute of Alès or simply as divers.

Beyond our common passion for the sea, it seemed unavoidable to merge our
experiences as the need to design and build marine structures differently is urgent.
It is also with modesty that we propose this work to readers, without claiming it to be
exhaustive or the absolute truth. We simply provide a testimony and methodological
tracks that we have tested in the field, with actors involved in development.

We would like to thank Régis Dumay, Marie Salgues, Jean Bougis, Philippe Saussol
and Jean-Marie Miossec for their active help in the elaboration of this book, as well as
the company Beuchat for the diving equipment. A special thought for Françoise
Gaill for her constant support. We would also like to thank all the contributors who
shared their testimonies with us in order to make this book a moment of sharing of
experiences in France and abroad, which we hope the readers will appreciate:
xvi Eco-design of Marine Infrastructures

– Alexandra Agostini, Anne Rioux, Aurore Léocadie, Osanne Paireau, Katherine

A. Dafforn (Australia), Louise Firth (UK) and Shimrit Perkol-Finkel (Israel);
– André Grosset, Bernard Sigros, Cyril Giraudel, Cyrille Taioni, Etienne Cunge,
Fabrice Javel, Frédéric Martarèche, Jean-Louis Gaziello, Jean-Michel Cathala,
Michel Fons, Patrick Guiraud, Pierre Roy, Romaric Vicente, Marcel Stive
(Netherlands), Jean-Luc Nguyen (Monaco) and Richard Spieler (USA).

May this modest work inspire us to think differently and to eco-design marine
works, for the mutual benefit of the sea and humankind.
 1

Principles and Genesis

of Maritime Eco-design

The global ecological crisis is concomitant with the Anthropocene, this new
geological era in which humans have become the central actors of pressures on the
planet (Crutzen 2006). Indeed, the recent IPBES report (IPBES 2019) makes a
damning assessment of the state of biodiversity since the beginning of the industrial
era two centuries ago: 75% of the land has been altered by humans (one-third of the
land consuming three-quarters of the available water resources is agricultural), 66% of
the oceans are threatened by humans and more than 85% of wetlands have been
destroyed. It is therefore our actions on this unique planet that are holding back our
own future. The logic of this observation would lead us to stop, or at least to slow
down, the well-known causes of this disaster (in decreasing order):
(1) artificialization and land use; (2) resource exploitation (fishing, forestry, etc.);
(3) climate change; (4) pollution (plastics, chemical residues, etc.); and (5) invasive
species (IPBES 2019). Thus, artificialization and land use would be our main
problem. In addition to agriculture, it is the issue of urbanization and its
consequences (cities, ports, mines, industries and roads) that is the most important
because it leads to an artificialization of environments that is difficult to reverse. If
we look at the forecasts, we can see not only a continuity but also an acceleration of
global urbanization, both on the continents and at sea. No less than 60,000 billion US
dollars will be invested in infrastructure between 2019 and 2040 (in the 56 countries
representing 88% of the world’s GDP (Global Infrastructure Hub and Oxford
Economics 2017)), more than 1.2 million km² will be urbanized by 2030, in just
10 years, that is, an increase of 185% compared to 1970–2000 (Seto et al. 2012),
and 3–4.7 million km² of roads will be created by 2050, an increase of 25%
compared to the current annual rate (Meijer et al. 2018).

Eco-design of Marine Infrastructures: Towards Ecologically-informed Coastal and Ocean Development,

First Edition. Sylvain Pioch and Jean-Claude Souche.
© ISTE Ltd 2021. Published by ISTE Ltd and John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
2 Eco-design of Marine Infrastructures

This phenomenon is particularly prevalent in coastal areas, as 8 of the 10 global

megacities are located on shores, such as Lagos, Tokyo, Jakarta and New York. The
global maritime infrastructure footprint was approximately 32,000 km² in 2018
(Bugnot et al. 2021). It is expected to reach 39,400 km² by 2028, a territory
equivalent to the state of Bhutan! However, the area of seascapes impacted by these
structures was also estimated to be between 1 and 3.4 million km² in 2018, with an
increase of 50–70% expected by 2028, which is comparable to the global extent of
urbanized areas (estimated at 0.02–1.7% of the land mass (Bugnot et al. 2021)). On
the French coast, the rate of occupation doubled between 1965 and 19801. Between
2000 and 2006, no less than 6,809 ha were destroyed for the construction of harbors,
dikes, embankments and other structures2. For example, in Hérault, a department in the
Occitanie region, close to the Mediterranean Sea (southern France), the level of
urbanization in 2015 on a narrow coastal strip of 15 km was close to 70%, with no
less than three-quarters of the population concentrated there (DREAL Occitanie). In
the international literature, we speak of a global “coastal squeeze”. This phrase,
introduced by Doody (2004), is based on the threat to coastal development caused by
the dual effect of rising sea levels and the explosion of human activities. There is an
incoherence between human and the needs of our planet, especially in the urgent
matter of the artificialization of natural environments, notably coastal ones.
Urbanization remains the result of a development that is still too predatory of space.

Faced with the enormous challenge of a renaturation of culture (Pelt 1977), for a
livable future of humankind, it becomes crucial to improve the consideration of
biodiversity in territorial planning projects. We will focus here on the potential for
nature-friendly planning, trying to integrate its functional needs as a fully-fledged
objective in the design of infrastructures.

1.1. Principles of maritime eco-design

The actions taken to allow for the “natural” environment (we will use this term
here in relation to the word “ecosystem”) for the operation of maritime works are
varied. In the case of ports, these include the control and reduction of discharges,
energy, sediment, waste and water management, environmental management plans
(compliant since 2013), natural infrastructure master plans – including a natural
heritage master plan – and Natura 2000 operators within the port perimeter (e.g. the
Grand Port Maritime of Dunkirk).

1 MEDAM (2015). Database for the French Mediterranean Coast (Inventory and Impact of Land
Reclamation).
2 Ibid.
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 Principles and Genesis of Maritime Eco-design 3

At the same time, several tools designed to provide (voluntary) environmental

certification are also available to project owners: AFAQ Clean Ports, ISO 14001,
Blue Flag and the latest “Clean Port” certification active in biodiversity3, in March
2018. These certifications are often accompanied by communication programs, such
as the “Green Port”4, “Year of Biodiversity” and “Port Biodiversity Index”, or
information panels and stands proposed by the ports’ sustainable development
departments, suppliers of “eco-” equipment or operators (Figure 1.1).

Figure 1.1. Public presentation panel on port biodiversity in the port of

Kernével, one of the first two ports in Brittany to be certified “Clean
Ports Active in Biodiversity”5 in 2018 (photo: ©APPB)

Political actions or the dissemination of good environmental practices have been

strengthened in recent years. At the international level, for example, we can cite the
Working with Nature program (from the International Association of Ports and
Canals, 2008), based in particular on the experience of Port 2000 in Le Havre and
the numerous guides produced PIANC6 (2011a, 2019, 2020); the World Harbour
Project7 (Steinberg et al. 2016), which brings together 15 ports around the issues of
ecological engineering, nature-based solutions and the resilience of natural port

3 This AC J81-032 certification of March 2018 is an optional component that adds to the
requirements of the “Clean Ports” CWA AC J 81-030 standard and is part of a prior European
“Clean Ports” certification process.
4 http://www.greenport.com.
5 http://www.portsdebretagne.fr/actualites/deux-ports-bretons-certifies-ports-propres-actifs-en-
biodiversite-roscoff-bloscon-et-kernevel/.
6 The World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (PIANC), the oldest
international professional organization in the port field: https://www.pianc.org.
7 http://www.worldharbourproject.org.
4 Eco-design of Marine Infrastructures

environments; at the European level, the CWA 16987 (Clean Harbour Guidelines); and
at the national level, the reflections initiated as part of the Grenelle mission on the
“Port of the Future” (led by CEREMA8), or regional variations, such as for the
major seaport of Marseilles and the “GIREL”9 research program, which was carried
out in 2010.

In spite of these virtuous impulses, in the field, during the first design phases
of a project, the objectives are primarily to propose a structure that meets technical
constraints (resistance, durability) with a controlled cost, aligned with
socio-economic objectives that meet a functional need: a marina or a commercial
port, an offshore wind turbine, a breakwater, an offshore wastewater treatment plant,
etc. The environmental question is applied to justificatory and secondary
considerations which are dealt with once the technical and socio-economic choices
have been made, under regulatory “constraint” (Airoldi et al. 2021).

This is where the purpose of eco-design, or oekodesign10, takes root, for its
objective is to design a project, from sketch or feasibility phases (within the meaning
of Act no. 85-704 of July 12, 1985, on public contracting and its relationship with
private contracting, known as the MOP Act), according to ecological performance or
co-benefit objectives. The aim is not to “wipe the slate clean” for the past but, based
on technical engineering knowledge, to introduce biophysical considerations, in
connection with the need to protect and develop the natural environment in the
project to develop the sea.

1.2. Definition of eco-design of marine infrastructures

The eco-design of marine infrastructures is the result of recent cultural evolutions, as

mentioned above. It is part of the interdisciplinary field of ecological engineering,
which includes human sciences (geo-planning, law), engineering sciences (civil
engineering, materials science) and natural sciences (biology, ecology). It responds
to a major challenge for responsible human societies and biodiversity managers.

For Francis and Lorimer (2011), reconciling human and non-human in the
project of developing urban territories, by integrating the conservation of nature, is
undoubtedly the greatest challenge of the 21st century. For these same authors, the

8 Center d’études et d’expertise sur les risques, l’environnement, la mobilité et l’aménagement

(previously CETMEF, before 2014).
9 See Chapter 4 of this book on the GIREL project at the port of Fos-sur-Mer.
10 We prefer this term to the one used in most English-language eco-engineering publications
due to its proximity to the approach of project management for the design of a development
project, even though they both designate the same field of reflection.
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“Acts of kindness,” replied Emma’s mother, “always produce a
feeling of pleasure. This every one may know. And it is the purest
and truest pleasure we experience in this world. Try and remember
this little incident of the flowers as long as you live, my child; and let
the thought of it remind you that every act of self-denial brings to the
one who makes it a sweet delight.”
 The Timely Aid.
“TAKE care of that wolf, my son,” said Mrs. Maylie to a boy about
twelve years old, who had come from school in a very ill humour with
a playmate, and kept saying harsh things about him, which were but
oral evidences of the unkind feelings he cherished within.
“What wolf, mother?” asked Alfred, looking up with surprise.
“The wolf in your heart. Have you already forgotten what I told you
last evening about the wild beasts within you?”
“But you told us too,” spoke up little Emily, “about the innocent
lambs. There are gentle and good animals in us, as well as fierce
and evil ones.”
“Oh yes. Good affections are the innocent animals of your hearts,
and evil affections the cruel beasts of prey that are lurking there,
ever ready, if you will permit them, to rise up and destroy your good
affections. Take care, my children, how you permit the wild beasts to
rage. In a moment that you know not, they may ravage some sweet
spot.”
“But what did you mean by saying that there was a wolf in brother
Alfred? Tell us the meaning of that, mother.”
“Yes, do, mother,” joined in Alfred, whose ill humour had already
begun to subside. “I want to know what the wolf in my heart means.”
“Do you know anything about the nature of wolves?” asked Mrs.
Maylie.
“They are very cruel, and love to seize and eat up dear little innocent
lambs,” said Emily.
“Yes, my children, their nature is cruel, and they prey upon innocent
creatures. Until now, Alfred, you have always loved to be with your
playmate, William Jarvis.”
Alfred was silent.
“Was it not so, my dear?”
“Yes, ma’am; I used to like him.”
“Frequently you would get from me a fine large apple, or a choice
flower from the garden, to present to him. But the tender and
innocent feelings that prompted you to do this have perished. Some
wolf has rushed in and destroyed them. Is it not so?”
Alfred sat in thoughtful silence.
“Think, my son,” continued Mrs. Maylie, “how innocent, like gentle
lambs, were your feelings until now. When you thought of William, it
was with kindness. When you played by his side, it was with a warm,
even tender regard. But it is not so now. Some beast of prey has
devoured these lambs—these innocent creatures that sported in
your bosom. If the angry, raging wolf has not eaten them up, where
are they? Before you permitted yourself to feel anger against
William, gentle creatures leaped about happily in your breast; but
you feel them no longer—only the wolf is there. Will you let him still
rage, and devour your lambs, or will you drive him out?”
“I will drive him out, mother, if I can. How shall I do it?” Alfred said
earnestly, and with a troubled look.
“By resisting him even unto the death. You have the power. You have
weapons that will prevail. Try to forget the fault of William; try to
excuse him; think of his good qualities; and assure yourself of what I
know to be true—that he never meant to offend you. If the angry wolf
growl in your bosom, thrust bravely at him, as you would, were you,
weapon in hand, defending a sheepfold; and he will and must retire,
or die at your feet. Then innocent lambs will again be seen, and their
sports delight your heart. Then you will feel no more anger towards
your young friend, but love instead.”
“I don’t think I am angry with William, mother,” Alfred said.
“But you were just now.”
“Yes; but the wolf is no longer in my heart,” the boy replied smiling.
“He has been driven out.”
“And innocent creatures can now sport there unharmed. I am glad of
it. Do not again, Alfred, do not any of you, my children, permit
ravenous beasts to prey upon the lambs of your flocks. Fly from
them in as much terror as you would fly from the presence of a wolf,
a tiger, or a lion, were one to meet you in a forest. They are equally
hurtful—one injures the body, the other the soul.”
“Tell us now, mother, about the wolf that had nearly killed uncle
Harper when he was a little boy no bigger than me,” spoke up
Charley, the youngest of Mrs. Maylie’s treasures.
“Oh yes, mother, tell us all about it,” said Alfred.
“I’ve told you that very often,” the mother returned.
“But we want to hear it again. Tell it to us; won’t you, mother?”
“Oh, certainly. Many years ago, when I was a little girl not bigger
than Emily, we lived at the foot of a high mountain, in a wild,
unsettled country. There were but few neighbours, and they were at
great distances from us. At that time bears, wolves, and panthers
were in the region where we lived, and often destroyed the sheep of
the settlers, and otherwise annoyed them. The men used frequently
to go out and hunt them, and kill off these their forest enemies in
great numbers.
“One day, when your uncle Harper was about five years old, our
father took us in his waggon to visit a neighbour about six miles up
among the mountains. This neighbour had a little boy just Harper’s
age, and they were together in the garden and about the house all
the morning. After dinner, they were dressed up nicely, and again
went out to play.
“‘Come,’ said Harper’s companion, ‘let us go and see brother Allen’s
bird-trap. He caught three pheasants yesterday. Maybe we’ll find one
in it to-day.’
“Harper was very willing to go. And so they started right into the
woods; for the forest came up close to the house, and went off quite
out of sight. They had not been gone long before a neighbour, who
lived about a mile off, came over to say that a very large wolf had
been seen a few hours before.
“‘Where is Harper?’ my mother asked quickly, going to the door and
looking out.
“‘I saw him a little while ago, playing about here with Johnny,’ some
one replied.
“‘But where is he now?’ and our mother went out of doors, looking all
around the house and in the garden.
“‘They’ve gone off to my bird-trap, without doubt,’ said Allen, a stout
boy about sixteen years of age. ‘Johnny has been there several
times within a day or two.’
“‘Do run and see,’ urged our mother. Allen took up his gun and
started off quickly towards the place where he had set his bird-trap.
Two or three took other directions; for, now that it was known a wolf
had been seen, all were alarmed at the absence of the children. In
about five minutes after Allen had left the house, we were startled by
the sharp crack of a rifle in the direction he had taken. For the next
five minutes we waited in dreadful suspense; then we were
gladdened by the sight of Allen, bringing home the two children. But
when we heard all that had occurred, we trembled from head to foot.
Allen had gone quickly towards the place where he expected to find
the little truants. When he came in sight of the trap, he saw them on
the ground close to it, and was just going to call out to them to take
care or they would spring it, when the dark body of a large wolf came
quickly in between him and the children. There was not a moment to
be lost; if the cruel beast reached them, destruction would be
inevitable. Quickly presenting his rifle, he took a steady aim and
fired. A fierce howl answered the report: as the smoke arose from
before his eyes, he saw the ‘gaunt gray robber’ of the wilderness
rolling upon the ground. The bullet had sped with unerring certainty.
“How thankful we were,” added Mrs. Maylie, “when, knowing how
great had been the danger, we saw the children safe from all harm!”
“Does uncle Harper remember it?” asked Charley.
“Yes; he says he can just remember something about it; but he was
a very little boy then.”
“That was a real wolf,” remarked Emily; “but the wolves, and tigers,
and lambs you have been telling us about are not real, are they?
Real animals can’t live in us.”
“If there was nothing real about them, could they hurt you, dear?”
“No.”
“But the wolves I spoke about do hurt you. Must they not be real
then?”
“Not real like the big hairy wolf I saw at the show?”
“Oh no; not real like that; not clothed in flesh; but still real, so far as
power to harm you is concerned: and surely that is reality enough.
Don’t you think so?”
“Yes, real that way. But still,” Alfred said, “I can’t understand how a
real wolf can be in me; for a wolf is much bigger than I am.”
“But I don’t mean a flesh and blood wolf, but something in you that
partakes of the wolf’s cruel nature, and, like the wolf, seeks to
destroy all in you that is good, and harmless, and innocent. There
may be in you something that corresponds to the fierce nature of the
wolf, and something that corresponds to the gentle nature of the
lamb. Both of these cannot be active at the same time. If you let the
wolf rule, your gentle lambs, as I before told you, will be destroyed.”
The children now understood their mother better, though they could
not clearly comprehend all that was meant by the wild beasts and
innocent creatures of the human heart.
 The Double Fault.
“WHY, Arthur,” exclaimed Mrs. Mason, on coming into the room
where she had left her two boys playing, and finding one of them
there with a bunch of flowers in his hand; “how came you to pull my
flowers? Haven’t I positively forbidden you to do so?”
“I did not do it, mother. I did not do it. It was John.”
“Where is John?”
“He’s in the yard.”
“Call him in,” said Mrs. Mason.
While Arthur was at the window calling to his brother, Mr. Mason, the
father, came into the room.
“John has been pulling my flowers. Isn’t it too bad that a boy as big
as he is should have so little consideration? They were coming out
into bloom beautifully.”
Just then John entered, with a bunch of flowers also in his hand.
“John, how came you to pull my flowers?” said Mrs. Mason. “You
knew it was wrong.”
“I did not think, when I pulled off a rosebud and two or three
larkspurs,” replied John.
“Two or three larkspurs and a rosebud! Why, your hand is full of
flowers.”
“Oh, but William Jones gave me all but the larkspurs and the
rosebud. Indeed, mother, I didn’t touch any more; and I am sorry I
took them; but I forgot that it was wrong when I did so.”
“But Arthur says you pulled that large bunch in his hand.”
“Arthur knows I didn’t. He knows he pulled them himself, and that I
told him he’d better not do it; but he said he’d as much right to the
flowers as I had.”
Mr. and Mrs. Mason both looked at Arthur in surprise and
displeasure. His countenance showed that he had been guilty of
wrongly accusing his brother.
“Is it true that you did pull the flowers, Arthur?” asked his mother.
But Arthur was silent.
“Speak, sir!” said the father sternly. “Did you pull the flowers?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And then falsely accused your brother of the wrong you had done.
That my boy should be guilty of an evil act like this! I could not have
believed it. It is a wicked thing to tell a lie to hide a fault, simply; but
falsely to accuse another of what we have ourselves done, is still
more wicked. Can it be possible that a son of mine has fallen so
low? It grieves me to the heart.”
Mr. Mason spoke as he felt. He was deeply grieved. Nothing had
occurred for a long time that so hurt him. He loved honesty and truth;
but how opposite to both had been the conduct of his boy!
“Go up to your chamber, and stay there until I see you or send for
you,” he said; and Arthur retired in shame from the presence of his
parents, and the brother he had so meanly attempted to injure. Of
course he felt very unhappy. How could he feel otherwise? The
rebuking words of his father fell like heavy blows upon his heart, and
the pain they occasioned was for a long time severely felt.
What punishment the parents thought it right to inflict upon Arthur we
do not know; but, no doubt, he was punished in some way, as he
deserved. And besides this, he had the still severer punishment
which always follows that meanest fault of which any one can be
guilty—that of accusing another and innocent person of what we
have ourselves done.
Bad as this fault is, it is, alas! too common. But no manly, honest-
minded, truthful boy will be betrayed into it. To the better impulses of
our young readers who have been so wicked as to fall into this sin,
either from sudden impulse or deliberate purpose, we would
earnestly appeal, and beg of them to think more wisely and act more
justly in the future. No cause is ever made better, but always worse,
by a falsehood. Even where detection does not follow, suspicion is
almost always created; for it is impossible for a boy to tell a lie
without betraying it in the face or voice, and causing a doubt to pass
through the minds of his parents, and set them to making inquiry into
the truth or falsehood of what he has stated.
Truth—the open, bold, honest truth—is always the best, always the
wisest, always the safest for every one, in any and all circumstances.
Let no boy deviate from it, even though he have been guilty of a
fault. Better—a thousand times better—is it to own to the wrong, and
keep a clear conscience.
 A Story about a Dog.
“TELL us a story, father, before we go to bed,” said a little boy, who
spoke for two brothers as well as for himself.
“What shall it be about?” asked Mr. Melville, their father.
“Oh, about a dog. I love to hear stories about dogs.”
“Oh yes! let it be about a dog.”
“Yes, papa, let it be about a dog,” ran through the circle of children.
“Wouldn’t you rather hear a story about the innocent lamb; the pure,
snow-white lamb that sports in the green meadows?” said the father.
“Dogs are evil animals.”
“Oh no, father! dogs are not evil animals. You don’t call our Carlo an
evil animal? He’s a good, kind, generous dog. Didn’t he save the life
of Mr. Graham’s little Harry, when he fell into the river? And doesn’t
he love us, and go with us everywhere? And didn’t he jump on Mr.
Parker’s Nero and beat him, when he flew out at us as we were
passing, and was going to bite us? I am sure Carlo is a good dog.
He watches our house at night, and keeps all the robbers away.”
“Carlo is one of the better class of dogs,” said Mr. Melville. “Many of
these animals have generous qualities, and can be taught by man to
perform many good acts; but I hardly think the dog can be called a
good animal, like the noble horse or the useful cow and sheep.
These serve man in a great variety of ways, and do not, even in their
wild state, prey upon other animals, or attack and injure man as the
dog will. The only use of the dog is for a protection against evil; and
he is able to do this from something in him that is cruel and
destructive. But I own that in some dogs there are to be found many
noble and generous qualities; but these they derive from long
association with man, and from being employed by him from one
generation to another in doing useful things. The dogs of St.
Bernard, of which you have so often read, are noble specimens of
this improved race. So are the Newfoundland dogs. But still they are
not good and innocent,—like sheep, for instance, or cows, or like the
gentle dove. Those are truly innocent animals, and correspond in
nature to certain good affections in our minds.”
But the children still thought that Carlo must be a good animal, and
insisted that it was so, and upon having a story about a dog instead
of a lamb.
“Very well,” said Mr. Melville: “I will tell you a story about a dog, and a
very interesting one it is too. I heard it or read about it somewhere
recently, but I cannot now tell where.”
“Tell it, father, do tell it,” urged the children.
Mr. Melville then told the following story:—
“There was a boy,—we will call his name Thomas,—whose father
bought him a fine horse, upon which he used to ride out almost
every day, accompanied by a large Newfoundland dog named
Bruno. One day Thomas had his horse brought out for a ride, and
after he had mounted the animal, he whistled for Bruno, who was
lying on a mat in front of the house. But Bruno only wagged his tail.
He did not even lift his head from between his fore paws, although
his dark bright eyes were fixed upon his young master. ‘Come,
Bruno, come!’ called Thomas. But the dog only wagged his tail more
quickly. ‘You are a lazy fellow, Bruno,’ said Thomas, in a half-chiding,
disappointed tone. ‘I shan’t half enjoy my ride unless you come.’ And
he whistled loud for Bruno, as he gave his horse the rein and trotted
off. Although he looked back and called for Bruno many times, as he
rode away, the dog evinced no disposition to follow him.
“It was near sunset, and the father and mother of Thomas were
sitting in front of their door, enjoying the cool refreshing air. Bruno
still lay upon the mat, and seemed to be sleeping.
“‘I wonder why that dog didn’t go with Thomas?’ said the father,
looking at Bruno.
“‘He’s lazy to-day,’ replied the mother. ‘Thomas called him, and tried
his best to get him off with him, as usual, but Bruno never stirred.’
“On hearing his name, the dog rose up, and came and rubbed
himself against his master, who patted him kindly upon the head.
While standing thus by his master’s side, Bruno all at once pricked
up his ears and rose, and seemed all attention. Almost at the same
instant the father of Thomas heard the distant clattering of a horse’s
hoofs, which drew nearer every moment. He arose quickly; as he did
so, Bruno gave a short, uneasy bark, and went a few steps towards
the road, holding his head very high, and looking first in one direction
and then in another. This suspense did not continue long. In less
than a minute from the time the first distant sound was heard, they
saw the horse of Thomas come dashing down the road at a fearful
speed, with his little rider clinging to his neck. The house stood
nearly a hundred yards from the road, and the horse approaching at
such a rapid rate, that, although the father sprang forward to catch
him, if possible, at the moment of passing, yet he was instantly
conscious that before he could possibly reach the road the
frightened animal would be beyond his reach. Just as his mind felt
this painful certainty, Bruno went past him like an arrow, cleared the
fence at a bound, and at the moment the horse was passing the gate
caught him by the bridle. To this he held on, checking the animal’s
speed so much that his master found it easy to come up with and
stop him.”
“Oh, what a noble dog!” cried the children. “How Thomas must have
loved him!”
“But how,” said one, “did Bruno know that the horse was going to run
away?”
“He did not know it,” said Mr. Melville.
“Then why didn’t he go with Thomas? He must have known it,
father.”
“Oh no; that doesn’t follow, my son, at all. But the Lord, in his
omnipotence and providence, knew what would take place, and
provided just the means that were needed to save Thomas from
being killed.”
“Then he made Bruno stay at home that he might be ready to save
his young master’s life?” said one of the children.
“The Lord’s protecting Spirit is everywhere,” replied Mr. Melville, “and
governs in all circumstances by which we are preserved from harm.
Without doubt, it was an influence from Heaven that produced in the
dog an indisposition to go with Thomas.”
“How good the Lord is!” said the child who had last spoken, in a
thoughtful tone.
“Yes, my dear,” returned Mr. Melville; “the Lord is good to all, and
kind even to the unthankful. He maketh his sun to shine upon the evil
and the good, and sendeth his rain upon the just and the unjust.”
 The Discontented Shepherd.
IN a quiet valley there once dwelt a shepherd, who led a peaceful,
happy life. He had large flocks, from whose fleecy backs the wool
was regularly shorn, and sold to the merchants; and the merchants
paid him money, with which he bought all things needful for health
and bodily comfort.
One day the shepherd drove his flocks to the sea-side, and as he
looked abroad upon the great expanse of water, and saw the ships
moving over its surface, he felt, for the first time, discontented with
his lot. A desire to see the world took possession of his mind.
“I will no longer shut myself up in this narrow valley,” he said. “I will
become a merchant. I will pass over the wide sea, and go among the
people of many lands.”
So the shepherd sold his flocks, and with the money bought
merchandise, which he placed in a ship, and started for a distant
country. During the first day after leaving the land, he could do little
else but admire the wonderful ocean upon whose surface he was
sailing, and think how happy he was at having escaped the dull life
of a shepherd in an unknown vale. But on the second day after
leaving the land, the motion of the ship made him very sick. He could
no longer enjoy the great expanse of ocean and sky spread out
above and around him, but had to remain in the cabin, unable even
to lift his head from his pillow. As he lay sick in the dark, narrow
cabin, filled with polluted air, he thought of the green shady places,
cool refreshing streams, and pure air of his native valley, and, for the
first time, he repented of what he had done.
It was more than a week before the shepherd could go upon deck,
and feel pleasure in the sky and ocean as he had done at first.
At last the vessel arrived at its destined place: the shepherd landed
his goods and offered them for sale. He soon found a merchant
willing to buy them. The price was agreed upon, the merchandise
delivered, and the money demanded. But it happened, as it almost
always happens when men get dissatisfied with the business or
calling with which they are perfectly familiar, and enter into one they
know nothing about, the shepherd fell into dishonest hands. The
merchant refused to pay him his money.
In order to get this wrong redressed, the shepherd called upon a
magistrate of the country, who promised to see that justice was done
to him. But the merchant knew the magistrate to be as unfitted for his
calling as he was for his, and so he offered him a bribe, which the
wicked magistrate accepted. In vain did the shepherd seek for justice
at his hands; no justice could he get. His importunities at last
became so great, that the magistrate threatened to have him put into
prison if he troubled him any more.
In his own peaceful valley there was no wrong and oppression like
this. The merchants who came for his fleece were good and true
men, and paid the prices agreed upon. The ignorant shepherd had
not dreamed that there were such wicked men in the world as this
merchant and this magistrate, into whose hands he had fallen.
In a strange land, among strange people, thousands of miles away
from his home, and all his money and property gone, the poor
shepherd was about giving up in despair. But he bethought him that
he would go to the king of the country, and ask justice at his hands.
The king, when he heard the shepherd’s story, was very angry at the
wrong that had been done in his kingdom. He sent immediately, and
had the magistrate and the merchant brought before him and
confronted with their accuser. On seeing the shepherd, their hearts
became filled with alarm, and their faces betrayed what was in their
hearts. When accused they could answer nothing. So the king
caused the merchant to pay the shepherd for his goods; and
besides, imposed upon him a heavy fine. From the magistrate he
took away his office, and had him cast into prison.
As soon as the shepherd had received his money, he returned in the
first ship that sailed for his native country, and buying more flocks,
was ever after contented to follow them in the peaceful valley where
no wrong, oppression, or dishonesty had yet come.
 The Shilling.
GEORGE HANSON’S uncle had given him a shilling; and George,
like most boys, felt very anxious to spend it. But, among his many
wants, he found it a hard matter to decide upon which to gratify. If it
had been a half-crown instead of a shilling, the difficulty would have
been lessened, for then George could have supplied at least half a
dozen wants. But it was only a shilling.
He stood at the window, looking out upon the passengers who were
going quickly by, the frosty air of December giving lightness to many
a step that, in a milder day, would have been less hurriedly taken.
While standing here, his mind half made up to gratify his love of
cakes and oranges by a whole shilling’s worth, a man went by with
some pretty little glass toys in a box, which he held up to the window,
and asked if he did not want to buy some.
George beckoned to the man to stop, and then ran to the front door.
The man was a glass-blower, and had manufactured some
handsome birds, and sheep, and deer, from white glass, which
looked, certainly, curious and beautiful.
“How much is this?” asked George, pointing to a bird of paradise.
“Eighteen-pence.”
“But I’ve only got a shilling,” returned George.
“Well, here’s a robin redbreast for a shilling; and here’s a deer, and a
sheep. All these on this side are a shilling.”
But George liked the bird of paradise best of all, and couldn’t think of
taking anything else.
While the man stood trying to persuade him to buy one of the birds
that were sold for a shilling, George looked up and saw going by a
poor old man, who was bent with age. He led a little girl by the hand,
who appeared to shrink in the cold. The old man looked sick and
feeble, and very poor.
“They shall have my shilling!” exclaimed George, speaking from a
sudden impulse; and he stepped forward, and placing the coin in the
old man’s hand, said, as he did so,—
“I was just going to spend this for a little glass toy that would be
broken in a day. But I want it put to a better use. Take it, and buy
something for your little girl.”
The poor old man stopped, and said, with a look of surprise and
pleasure as he received the coin,—
“Thank you, my young master! This will give my little Alice a nice
bowl of bread and milk for her supper and breakfast. She will think of
you with a grateful heart while she eats them.”
“Well done, my good boy!” said the glass-blower, as the old man
went on his way. “That poor little girl’s bread and milk will taste sweet
to her to-night. And as a reward for your generous self-denial, here is
the bird of paradise that has pleased you so much: take it.”
But George drew back, and said he hardly thought that would be
right.
“Why not, I wonder?” returned the man. “Am I to be outdone in
generosity by a boy? Take it, and whenever you look upon it let it
teach you this lesson—that it is more blessed to give than to receive;
for I am sure the thought of the good done to the old man and the
little girl will be more pleasant to you than the thought of possessing
this pretty toy.”
And so it was. The toy pleased for a short time only, but the thought
of the little girl who had been made happy by his shilling never
passed through his mind without giving him pleasure.
 The Wounded Bird.
“FATHER,” said Henry Thompson, a boy just eleven years old,
“won’t you buy me a gun?”
“A gun! Oh no; I can’t buy you a gun,” Mr. Thompson replied in a
decided voice.
Henry turned away disappointed, and went out of his father’s
warehouse, into which he had come specially to ask for a gun. He
was not pleased at the refusal he had met with, and felt much
inclined, as are too many children, to indulge hard thoughts against
his kind father for not gratifying his wish. As he walked along, he met
Alfred Lyon, a lad about his own age, whose father had given him a
gun, and who then had it on his shoulder.
“Come, Henry,” said Alfred, “I’m going out a-shooting. Won’t you go
with me?”
Henry at once said “Yes.” It was a holiday, and his mother had told
him that he might go out and spend the morning as he liked, only
that he must not go into danger, nor harm anything. So he did not
hesitate to go with Alfred. He had seen the little boy the day before,
and then learned that he had received from his father the present of
a gun, and this was what had made him desire to have one also.
The two little boys then took their way to the woods. It was a bright
day in early summer. The trees were all covered with tender foliage,
the fields bright and green, and the singing birds made the air thrill
with delicious melody. To mar this scene of innocence, beauty, and
peace, came these two thoughtless boys. They saw the woods
mantled in their dark, rich drapery, that moved gracefully in the light