Case study:Camargue’s former saltworks
Project overview
Status | In progress |
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Project web site | http://www.conservatoire-du-littoral.fr/siteLittoral/483/28-etangs-et-marais-des-salins-de-camargue-13_bouches-du-rhone.htm |
Themes | Environmental flows and water resources, Fisheries, Habitat and biodiversity |
Country | France |
Main contact forename | Marc |
Main contact surname | Thibault |
Main contact user ID | |
Contact organisation | TOUR DU VALAT |
Contact organisation web site | http://tourduvalat.org/en/ |
Partner organisations | |
Parent multi-site project | |
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects |
No |
Project summary
The former saltworks of the Camargue are located in the southeast of the Rhône delta, in the Camargue Regional Natural Park and the UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere Reserve. This site represents a vast coastal area of over 6,500 ha in the municipalities of Arles and Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. Developed for salt production in the 1960’s, the site was modified and managed with a human dominated water cycle during 50 years.
In 2011, the site was purchased by the Conservatoire du Littoral. At that time, the main objectives for the site moved from salt production to wetland conservation. A restoration process through adaptive management was quickly put into place by the Conservatoire du Littoral (owner), the Regional Natural Park of the Camargue (coordinating manager), the Tour du Valat Research Institute and the Society for Nature Conservation (co-managers). Through these efforts, the site is becoming a highly dynamic and functional coastal wetland that reconnects the surrounding aquatic ecosystems within the Camargue Natural Regional Park.
This site hosts important biodiversity and acts as a buffer against sea floods. While one of the main ambitions of the restoration project is to enhance biodiversity, the significant expansion of new halophytic vegetation can also set up a natural protective defense to reduce wave energy, height and speed induced by sea surge in the coastal lagoons, thus decreasing flood effects inland. Furthermore, coastal vegetation can help increase sediment and organic matter trapping, reducing flood risks. But most importantly, the site provides space set aside to mitigate responses to sea-level rise. This corresponds to recent scientific research recommending that “accommodation space” should be expanded by using “natural and nature-based features”.
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