16/6/2025
What if the data were used to bring residents back?
We often think that data is used to manage tourists. But they can also make it possible to give back a place to local users in natural areas.
English
What if the data were used to bring residents back?
We often think that data is used to manage tourists. But they can also make it possible to give back a place to local users in natural areas.
Reconciling attendance and proximity
The rise of counting solutions in natural areas has often been motivated by tourist pressure: preserve biodiversity, distribute flows, limit overcrowding. But another, more discreet issue deserves greater attention: the reappropriation of the premises by the inhabitants themselves.
Because in many territories, the most attractive natural sites have become victims of their success. In fine weather, residents desert the trails, flee the lakes, and avoid pedestrian city centers. Too many people, too much noise, too much uncertainty.
Data to objectify... and reassure
Counting is not just about saying “there are too many people.” It can also reveal The beaches with the least attendance, Secondary itineraries or The quieter temporalities, and put them at the service of the inhabitants.
➡️ Thanks to fine data, some communities have been able to create targeted communication campaigns : “Come back on Wednesday morning, the trail is yours.”
➡️ Others have modulated maintenance or services (opening of car parks, presence of agents, shuttles) to offer more comfortable conditions to local users.
Inspiring examples: what the territories show
Lans-en-Vercors (Isere)
On the Molière-Sornin plateau, the town has installed sensors coupled to a 3G antenna and artificial intelligence. The data is returned in real time via a QR code displayed on site. In case of saturation, walkers are offered alternatives.
Impact: reduction in the saturation of car parks, increase in traffic on information pages, better distribution of flows — For the benefit of the inhabitants like visitors.
Learn more here, La Tribune article (for a fee)
Regional natural parks (PNR)
PNRs in France use attendance sensors to control accesses, plan maintenance, adjust services and target their communication to local residents. The PNR Federation's guide capitalizes on these experiences and insists on the need to reconcile tourism and local roots.
Languedoc-Roussillon Region
Managers of protected natural areas have used the data to adapt developments and direct flows to less frequented areas or periods. This allows to balance uses and to better meet the expectations of residents.
Why does it work
- Because data allows To objectify feelings : too often, communities make decisions based on impressions.
- Because they offer concrete levers for action to adapt the offer, reprogram maintenance, rethink uses.
- Because they allow To restore the confidence of the inhabitants in their ability to take advantage of their environment.
Kiomda: concrete data at the service of territories
At Kiomda, we already support many territories in this logic of local reappropriation of natural areas, thanks to discrete, autonomous sensors that are designed to last. A few telling examples:
- Lake Mande — Heart of Lozère : a dual-use site (drinking water & leisure), where measured attendance made it possible to adjust development projects and maintain balances... for the benefit of visitors and residents alike.
- PNR de Brière & Réserve de Bruges : sensitive trails followed precisely to identify peaks, better regulate traffic and guarantee quieter slots, conducive to local use.
- Déodatienne (Vosges) : as part of the PETR project, the data made it possible to document the pressure on several natural sites, and to support the establishment of shuttles and adapted arrangements.
- DREAL Brittany : with monitoring on 15 points of the coastal path, the data collected allowed better management of summer attendance, and recommendations were made to promote local access outside of high season.
These projects demonstrate that counting is not just a measurement tool: it is a a lever for dialogue, planning and recovery.
In conclusion: making room for the inhabitants also means making room for data
Measuring attendance is not only used to limit: it can repair. Repair the link between inhabitants and their territory, between a site and its daily users. By integrating this approach, communities are building policies that are more inclusive, smarter, and ultimately... more sustainable.
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