Habit mapping

Studies

(photo credit : CEN)

Presentation

The mapping of natural habitats and of community interest has never been carried out on the salted Breton Marsh, excluding the Marsh of Life (Biotope, 2010) and  from  for the Guérande and Mès marshes.

Thanks to LIFE Sallina, the mapping will therefore be carried out on the 8,750 ha of the Marais Breton and the marshes of Île de Noirmoutier and updated on the 2,650 ha of the Guérande and Mès marshes, according to the National Museum methodology National Natural History Center of Paris in 2019 and 2020.

This very substantial fieldwork will provide the following maps which will be essential in the context of LIFE Sallina but also for after LIFE and for Natura 2000 activities:

  • Mapping of natural environments.
  • Mapping of habitats of community interest.
  • Mapping of inventoried damage (backfilling, etc.).
  • Mapping of invasive exotic species.

A more detailed cartography will be made of the lagoon habitat with in particular:

  • Mapping of the detailed typology of lagoon habitat.
  • Mapping of the observed management of the lagoons (no use, saltwater, etc.).
  • Mapping of ecological restoration potentials.

Goals

This action allows you to:

  • Refine and update knowledge on the habitats of the 3 Natura 2000 sites.
  • Identify the sites on which the LIFE actions carried out on the pilot sites could be replicated according to the habitats identified and their degradations and potential for restoration.

Advancement

The mapping started in March 2019 on the 3 Natura 20000 sites.

On the Marais Breton and the marshes of the island of Noirmoutier 2 field campaigns will take place from March to October 2019 and from March to October 2020. A first field campaign made it possible to map the salt marshes of Bouin, north of Beauvoir-sur -sea and part of the marsh of Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez. A second campaign started in April 2020.

On the Guérande and Mès marshes, a first field campaign in the spring of 2019 enabled the mapping of all of the Mès salt marshes as well as the Turballe salt marshes. A second field campaign will take place in 2020 to complete the mapping of the salt marshes of the Guérande basin. ….

Results

Results are expected by December 2020.