La Hague «Grand Site»
Manche, Normandy
The Vauville heathland is a typical landscape of the Hague peninsula, made up of Ericaceae short vegetation. A rare and fragile environment maintained through extensive grazing, which has encouraged the regeneration of species. Bruno Paysant is one of the last farmers to have ancestral grazing rights over the communal heathland.
© Nour Hachimi, commune de La Hague
Gran Sitio La Hague
In Normandy, the Vauville moors are one of the typical landscapes of the Hague peninsula, a natural environment that is rare on a European scale, composed in particular of low dry heather moors on the plateaus and slopes. In order to preserve these landscapes and environments, the Grand Site, through the intermediary of the Conservatoire du littoral and in particular the Syndicat Mixte des Espaces Littoraux de la Manche, which manages them, carries out regular maintenance to limit the progression of tall vegetation. Since 2001, burning and shredding operations have encouraged the regeneration of ericaceous plants. The challenge for these areas is to maintain extensive grazing, in keeping with the local tradition. This is the other rich heritage of this area. Livestock, some of which are local domestic breeds, such as the La Hague roussin, the ditch goat and the Norman Cob, graze freely all year round, thanks to an ancestral grazing right that only three farmers still maintain today, while ensuring the preservation of these heritage breeds.