LAGUNE DE LA BELLE HENRIETTE
Lagoon which protects one of the rare natural sites witnessing geomorphological and biological mechanisms in La Tranche-sur-Mer
Recently created (2011), the Casse de la Belle Henriette national nature reserve covers 337 hectares. It shares its surface area almost equally between La Tranche-sur-Mer and La Faute-sur-Mer. It is 5 km long and between 500 m and 1 km wide. It protects one of the last natural marine lagoons of the Atlantic coast. It is a large lagoon separated from the sea by a stretch of sand. The lagoon of the Belle Henriette was, until the 16th century, the outlet of an arm of the Lay into the Atlantic Ocean. It is managed by the LPO, and as such, being a preserved place, you will observe many animal and plant species. It shelters nearly 2 234 species of birds of which 43 are patrimonial. They can be observed during the breeding season or during migratory stopovers. You will be able to see marsh harriers, red-backed and turdoid reed warblers, the blackbird... The flora includes more than 360 species, 32 of which are heritage species and 10 of which are protected, such as the French carnation, Jaubert's odontite, maritime knotweed... There are also about fifteen mammals, including the European otter and the amphibian vole, not forgetting a dozen varieties of amphibians of course. It is also one of the largest reed beds on the Atlantic coast. It also protects one of the rare natural sites that has witnessed the geomorphological and biological mechanisms of the formation and evolution of the sandy coasts over the last 150 years.
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