Breton Marsh

The Breton Marais (the General advice of the Vendée renamed it Breton-Vendean Marais) is a wet geographical area located at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. It marks the limit between two Anciennes French provinces, the Brittany and the Poitou, and extends on two department S, the Loire-Atlantique and the the Vendée, both included in the administrative area of the Pays of the Loire.

The Breton Marsh is protected by Digue S and Dune S (stabilized by pine S, forest of the Countries of Mounts) because in the neighborhoods of Bouin, for example, the grounds sometimes below the level of the ocean were formerly subjected to frequent Raz-de-marée. A system of winnowing preventing salt water from going up in several zones of the marsh formerly was also set up in order to make the marsh Breton compatible with the Agriculture. The marsh is a privileged place of observation and an original tourist site.

Geographical location

The Breton Marsh extends on 45.000 ha including/understanding a system canal (étier S), meadows wet and Polder S of a great biological richness. It extends from north in the south of the communes of Moutiers-in-Retz with Saint-Gilles-Cross-of-Life on the littoral and of Machecoul to Challans in the grounds, in the east.

History

In the beginning, the zone belonged to an old large bay covered by the ocean (the Baie of Brittany). Many islands strewing this bay, only the island of Noirmoutier is still surrounded by the sea. Bouin, Beauvoir-on-Sea, Sallertaine is old islands now attached to the continent. During the Prehistory, a river Sedimentation coming from the the Loire and of the Charente created a delivery point with successive payments closing bay little by little. The man supported this stranding by building dams and channels during the installation of saline Marais S.

The first Saline S were dug at the beginning of the Christian era under the influence of the Romains. The monks Benedictines of XIe at the 13th century undertook the construction of salt installations: pits, étier S.

The marsh was considered, since the Moyen-âge until the 18th century, for its saline Marais which hoisted the Breton Marsh with the rank of larger producer of salt in France (of XVe at the 18th century with until 30 000 tons produced per annum). The salt consumption much more important than now because was then used like principal preservative of food: the Salaison was very widespread.

The two Paroisse S which at that time produced the most salt was those of Bouin and Bourgneuf. This one was then exported mainly towards the Scandinavian countries by the merchants of the Hanse since the port S of Bourgneuf-in-Retz then Collet. But the progressive silting of bay (caused partly by the tons of ballast of hold that the ships released before charging salt) put an end to the trade with large scales, the access to the ports becoming increasingly difficult for the ships. This production zone is then gradually abandoned with the profit of the saltworks of the Mediterranean.

The agricultural activity gradually supplanted the salt activity and engages a refitting of the marshes. The salt water is gradually rejected towards the sea with the profit of the rainwater which fills the étiers of the marsh. Nowadays, the water of the marsh is completely soft except for a zone located at the west of Bourgneuf kept salted, in particular for the oyster activities. Ditches broader and fewer were arranged and dug to ensure a better irrigation of the Breton marsh.

Today

Today the oyster activities took over (Huître S the Vendée-Atlantic) and the Tourisme considerably developed around the seaside resorts of the Baie of Bourgneuf (Moutiers-in-Retz, Noirmoutier, etc) and of the Vendean coast (Saint-Gilles-Cross-of-Life, Saint-Jean-of-Mounts, etc).

The salt activity has known for a few years a new breath in the Breton Marsh, in particular on the island of Noirmoutier, with Beauvoir-on-Sea and Bourgneuf-in-Retz, due in particular to the renewed interest of the traditional activities and the tourist potential which it causes, as much as for the quality of the production.

The wind S of Bouin installed in 2002 became visible attractions in all the north of the marsh. They produce energy for close to 20 000 inhabitants of the marsh and the north of the the Vendée.

Salt-water marshes

Fauna and Flora

The Breton Marsh belongs to a site Natura 2000 also including the Forêt of the Countries of Mounts, the Baie of Bourgneuf, and the island of Noirmoutier.

Fauna

A fauna rich and particular makes conspicuous this medium of marsh where Héron S, white Aigrette S, Busard S of the reeds and Canard S colonize space.

Flora

Certain plants known as Halophile S push only in the salted mediums. In the salt-water marshes, the plant species are distributed according to the salinity and the nature of the ground on which they push. The Salicorne and the Obione push close to salt water in bottom of the bumps whereas the black Moutarde pushes on grounds less salted on the bumps.

See too

Articles of Wikipédia

Marsh poitevin

External bonds

Site of écomusée of the Breton Marsh
Site Country of Retz.info - the Breton Marsh
the site of Association for the Development of the Catchment Area of Bay of Bourgneuf
Card of site FR5200653 ([[Network Natura 2000|Natura 2000])]
Pole-relay littoral wetlands

Sources

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