Loire Estuary

The Loire Estuary, located on the French Atlantic coast, connects the longest river in France to the North-East Atlantic Ocean. Over the past century, dredging, embankments and land reclamation have significantly altered the estuary’s morphology and reduced the extent of tidal mudflats. These intertidal habitats play a key role in supporting biodiversity, fisheries nurseries and biogeochemical cycles.
In REWRITE, the Loire demonstrator focuses on restoring tidal flats and estuarine connectivity as nature-based solutions to enhance ecosystem functioning, carbon cycling and resilience to sea-level rise.

Characteristics

Habitat Types in Loire Estuary

70%

Mudflat

10%

Seagrass meadows

20%

Saltmarsh

Challenges

Engage stakeholders to co-design scenario for rewilding/restoration to improve/restore ecological functions, taking into count the societal needs
Increase the link between Governmental organizations and local territory
Increase knowledge in natural, social sciences and humanities

Main Objectives

1

Improve knowledge of tidal mudflat functioning and ecosystem services
2

Identify restoration pathways to increase intertidal habitats
3

Support rewilding as nature-based solutions for estuarine resilience to sea-level rise

Current and future restoration actions

Past & current

Plan Loire Grandeur Nature (since 1994): Integrated management programme supporting wetland conservation, including the transfer of ~1,500 ha to the Conservatoire du Littoral

Land acquisition and protection by the Conservatoire du Littoral for conservation of estuarine wetlands and to limit artificialisation
Future

LIFE Adapto: Demonstration project exploring nature-based coastal adaptation strategies including managed realignment and ecosystem-based shoreline management

Contact Person

Main contact

Edouard Metzger