Val-de-Saire

Located in the northeast of Cotentin between Barfleur and Cherbourg, the Val-de-Saire is a site with a remarkable landscape. It consists of rocky headlands, beaches with dune ridges behind which lie marshes, wet meadows, and heathlands. As such, the reefs and backshore marshes from Cap Lévi to Pointe de Saire are part of the European Natura 2000 network of sites.

The Conservatoire du littoral has been a major stakeholder on this site since 1983, when it made its first land acquisition. It currently owns more than 530 hectares in total. The maintenance and monitoring of its lands are entrusted to SyMEL (Syndicat Mixte des Espaces Littoraux de la Manche), which manages biodiversity monitoring and relationships with local stakeholders, notably agricultural operators inland through usage agreements.

The coastal area is typically frequented in the most accessible places for recreational activities (shore fishing, hiking, hunting, etc.), including the route of the long-distance hiking trail GR 223. This trail is threatened by significant erosion at certain points along its path.

Among concrete actions, the project aims to support local stakeholders in reconfiguring land uses by relying, among other things, on the measures implemented at the Fréval site (Fermanville) in the context of coastline retreat (notably the retreat of the coastal trail).

Fauna and flora

The Val-de-Saire plays an important functional role as a stopover site during migration, wintering, and nesting periods for many emblematic waterbird species. It is possible to observe the common shelduck, pied avocet, black-winged stilt, as well as three breeding species of plovers, which is remarkable at the departmental level. The backshore wetlands also host the great crested newt, and the dunes support a heritage plant species: sea kale.