Dune du Pilat: the coastal conservatory recommends keeping its forests closed to the public

2023-03-01T12:16:44.005Z

Seven months after the fires that stopped at the foot of the Dune, its periphery of charred forests must regenerate. The Conservatoire du littoral recommends extending the ban on driving there at least until this summer included.

Le Figaro Bordeaux

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Regulars of departmental 218 know it: the landscape of the Dune du Pilat has changed a lot.

Formerly camouflaged by a green setting, the large sandy mound emblematic of the Arcachon basin now stands out, alone and majestic, in the gaps in an environment of sparse trees.

In July, the terrible fires that ravaged the Gironde stopped at its foot.

Around, the charred trunks continue to be cut and evacuated under the watchful eye of the coastal conservatory, owner of 300 hectares on the site.

Read alsoDune du Pilat: reopening of a road five months after the fire

“

We will not see the ecosystem of the Dune du Pilat again as we knew it in our lifetime.
It will take at least 20 or 30 years to reconstitute it

”, explains Nathalie Madrid, delegate of the Aquitaine shore for the public administrative establishment of the State.

For this enthusiast of the famous mound, forged in the 19th century by hydro-sedimentary dynamics of the Banc d'Arguin preserved over time thanks to the winds, this transformation is "

a shock

If the most beautiful promontory in the region has lost none of

its "wow effect

" for visitors who tread it religiously every summer, the Dune du Pilat "

will take on another dimension in the collective imagination now that it is seen from the road

“says the specialist.

spring hope

As spring approaches, the curator of the coast recommends keeping these 300 hectares of forests with two-thirds users that surround the site of the Dune du Pilat closed to the public.

A ban that would continue throughout the summer season.

Above all, let's leave room for the dynamics of nature to check that the seed bank is indeed present and observe how it picks up in the spring

," insists Nathalie Madrid.

Artificial reforestation of the area “

which rose by itself two thousand years ago

” is not planned.

Will the groves bloom again before summer?

This is the still uncertain hope of the experts, who are currently unable to say "

if the ground has burned too

to regenerate.

A restriction that should have little impact on tourists who come mainly to perch at the top of the dune and not to walk in the forest.

Under the charred trees of the forests surrounding the Dune du Pilat, nature is budding again.

Joint Syndicate of the Great Dune of Pilat

Read alsoGironde: 40% of fire trucks still under repair after this summer's fires

At the mixed union of the great Dune of Pilat (SMGDP), it is time for preventive measures before the start of the summer season.

In the front row of the fire this summer, Nathalie Le Yondre, its president, is filled with "

sadness

" at its mention.

If the firewall created by the firefighters this summer was effective, after being "

very scared

", its teams are working "

hard

to obtain state funding of 500,000 euros in order to rebuild one of the parking lots.

300 missing places which should be restored before the summer.

In the meantime, this public administrative establishment is also focusing on another issue, the need for which has been accentuated by the fires: having the Dune du Pilat labeled a major site in France to enhance and protect it.

Preparatory work is underway for an application in 2024.

Source: lefigaro

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