Brouage Marshland “Grand Site”
Charente-Maritime, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
The remarkable wetlands of the Brouage marshlands form a living, inhabited, and farmed landscape characterised by pastoralism and by traditional oyster-farming activities. Alongside the oyster breeding tables, walkers can visit Fort Louvois, a 17th century maritime fortification and a majestic backdrop for the daily work of the oyster farmers,
these “peasants of the sea”. © Grégory Gérault / hemis.fr
Facing Oléron Island, the Grand Site marais de Brouage is a remarkable wetland area that stretches between Rochefort and Marennes in Charente-Maritime, covering almost 11,000 hectares of grazed meadows. A living, inhabited and cultivated landscape, with centuries-old traditions linked to the heritage of water, the marsh is home to economic activities such as pastoralism and oyster farming. A maritime fortification from the 17th century classified as a historical monument, Fort Louvois, designed by Vauban, is built on a rock submerged at high tide between Oléron Island and the Marennes basin. In addition to traditional economic activities and a remarkable built heritage, the marshland is a jewel case of biodiversity with a very rich fauna and flora, protected under numerous titles: Natura 2000, National and Regional Reserves, Sensitive Natural Area... Today it is the preservation of this heritage, its gentle development and the adaptation of the marshland to the effects of climate change that are the subject of particular attention from the local authorities managing the Grand Site.