Natura 2000 protected siteOver more than 420 hectares protected by the Conservatoire du littoral, the Lido de l’Or (Petit and Grand Travers) consists of natural environments of high ecological value such as dune ridges, salt marshes, and forested areas that require particular attention for biodiversity conservation. It is notably part of the European Natura 2000 network of protected sites.
Located between the urban areas of La Grande Motte and Carnon, this area is particularly fragile, subjected to strong pressures from both natural and human origins. While it experiences significant erosion effects on the Petit Travers, year-round tourist activity greatly contributes to the degradation of the coastal strip.
After extensive consultation, Petit Travers was the subject of an ecological restoration project in 2014. Between 2017 and 2022, the Life Adapto project helped to consolidate and share the experience of restoring Petit Travers and to develop a forward-looking, cross-sectoral vision for the Lido over the medium and long term.
Today, the ambition is to expand the project to cover the entire Lido, including Grand Travers. This project aims to better manage the multiple uses and the very high visitor numbers over the long term while improving visitor facilities, maintaining or even developing agricultural activity, implementing innovative forest plantation management solutions with the National Forestry Office (ONF), connecting the site to the river network, and restoring and opening to the public an 18th-century signal tower listed as a Historic Monument. In this context, the Life Adapto+ project is intended to provide decision-support tools to feed the project and anticipate updates to the site’s management documents through the lens of climate change adaptation.
Focus on the site
Location: Hérault Department
Type of site: Mediterranean dune system / salt marsh
Area: 420 hectares
Particularity: A historic urban separation between two seaside resorts, on a sandy strip (lido) that separates the Étang de l’Or (lagoon) from the Mediterranean Sea.
Main challenges: Providing ecological restoration solutions adapted both to the effects of climate change and to heavy tourist pressure.
Fauna and flora
It is possible to observe numerous bird species such as the Crested Lark, Blue Tit, Willow Warbler, Nightingale, Blackcap, and Green Woodpecker. During migrations, migratory passerines are also seen resting during stopovers. The flora is also extremely diverse, with over 150 species, including 21 considered to be of heritage value.