Owned by the Conservatoire du Littoral since the 1990s, the Bastidon Pine Forest covers over 18 hectares within the municipality of Londe-les-Maures. Part of a pine woodland stretching along the coastal fringe, the site also includes a wetland area and agricultural land.
Managed by the municipality, this site comprises both public and private property, local and tourist leisure activities (port, beach, walking trails, camping). It is heavily frequented during the summer season, with approximately 150,000 visitors annually on the coastal path.
Remnants of military fortifications dating back to the German occupation from 1942 to 1944 remain along the seafront. A long concrete wall marks the coastline and attests to the steady retreat of the shoreline over several decades. The proposal is to study the conditions for renaturalizing the site by removing the various hardened coastal structures. These reflections are carried out with the aim of limiting erosion downstream of the site, as well as continuing the coastal restoration efforts initiated by the previous Life Adapto project (2017–2022) at the Vieux-Salins d’Hyères site. Separated by a campsite, the Bastidon Pine Forest and the Vieux Salins d’Hyères are contained within the same hydro-sedimentary unit. This approach is also planned within the framework of the bay contract for “Rade de Toulon and the Golden Islands.”
Focus on the site
Location: Var Department
Site type: Coastal pine forest
Area: 18.5 hectares
Particularity: 220 linear meters of concrete wall along the coast and four bunkers dating from the German occupation between 1942 and 1944.
Main challenges: Combating erosion, maintaining the coastal path, raising awareness among local populations, and supporting local stakeholders.
Fauna and flora
It is possible to observe typical coastal natural habitats such as Juncus acutus, halophilous wastelands with Elytrigia species, the Rosy Starling (Pastor roseus), the Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius), saltwort grasslands, and wrack lines.
Local partners:
