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Coastline erosion: in the English Channel, the Marais farm chased by the tide

2021-05-18T22:18:46.119Z


It was in Montmartin-sur-Mer (Manche) that, for the first time in Normandy, a professional activity was forced to move, threatened


What was only a distant threat becomes a painful reality.

In Montmartin-sur-Mer (Manche), the Marais farm, shared between breeding and tourist accommodation thanks to a gîte and a campsite, is now under immediate threat from the sea. For the first time on the Channel coast, a professional activity is forced to move ... because of the rising waters.

“The storms of 1999 breached the dunes that separated our farm from the sea. Since then, erosion has increased exponentially from year to year.

We even lost almost suddenly 500 linear meters that we were exploiting!

And there, we have once again lost three hectares of land… A new cumulative storm with a high tidal coefficient is enough for the farm itself to find itself with its feet in the water… ”, explains David Lecordier.

A whole life that must be left behind

This farm, however, is his whole life. His parents bought it the year of their marriage in 1956. He was born in 1972 and took it over in 1993. He has continued to develop it to the point of raising more than 300 lambs today. and around thirty suckler cows. The lodging and the campsite are in full swing. The campsite is also where David met his wife Claudine, who came there on vacation, and who was also deeply attached to this place.

It must be said that the situation of the farm is exceptional. It seems to have been deposited there, nestled in the hollow of one of the region's most spectacular harbors, meeting immense skies, foreshore vegetation and particularly marked tides. “It’s going to be heartbreaking to get out of here for sure. For a long time, I even told myself that whatever happens, we would not leave. I can tell you that we had a few short nights… ”

“But, over time, continues David Lecordier, we slowly make a point.

Either way, the situation will not stop getting worse.

The dune continues to erode and the converging movements of the sea and Siena, the neighboring river, will end up gaining more and more ground.

So we say to ourselves that, even if it means leaving, it is better to do it now.

We're going to be 50 years old… It's now or never.

"

"No question of selling it off"

Still, things are obviously not that simple.

The Conservatoire du littoral is in fact the only potential buyer of the farm.

We must therefore find financial common ground.

And, for the moment, we seem far from the mark.

“We not only leave our entire history behind.

But this farm is also the work of all our lives, those of my parents and ours.

There is no question of selling it off.

We are aware of the situation, but we will not leave until we have a financial proposal worthy of all that we have invested here.

"

As for knowing what will become of the farm, impossible to know.

The Conservatory has not yet let anything filter on its possible project.

Source: leparis

All life articles on 2021-05-18

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