PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
In the Pays-de-la-Loire Region, on the French Atlantic coast, salt marshes cover nearly 16 000 ha, all designated as Natura 2000 sites, with 13 500 ha specifically targeted by the LIFE SALLINA project. Human activities have long contributed to the maintenance of habitats of Community interest in and around these salt marshes. However, this natural heritage faces several major threats, such as the intensification of salt production practices in some sites and the abandonment of traditional salt production in other sites, the spread of invasive species, and a lack of public awareness about the importance of salt marsh habitats.
OBJECTIVES
The LIFE SALLINA project aimed to restore around 400 ha of salt marshes in 3 targeted Natura 2000 sites; of which 290 ha were coastal lagoons and Atlantic salt meadows, 2 habitats listed in the Habitats Directive. The project initiated a range of conservation actions aimed at ensuring appropriate long-term management of these habitats. These actions improved the conservation status of their characteristic species and especially targeted pied avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta), a species listed in the Birds Directive. In addition, the project team implemented a set of actions to control invasive species on nearly 3 000 ha of salt marshes. By seeking to improve the conservation status of these habitats and species, the project contributed directly to the implementation of the EU nature directives.
RESULTS
By the end of the project, 150.3 ha of coastal lagoons (habitat type *1150 in annex I of the Habitats directive) and 64 ha of salt meadows (habitat type 1330, also in annex I) were restored, and 142 islets were created or restored to increase breeding areas for coastal birds and especially for the target species Recurvirostra avosetta (listed in annex 1 of the Bird directive). To achieve all this, 76 agreements were signed with landowners, and 10.5 ha of marshland were acquired.
The restored habitats will continue to be managed by the beneficiaries, together with relevant stakeholders, mostly using Natura 2000 funding as well as territorial contracts with the Loire-Bretagne water agency. Some other salt marshes may also be restored in the after-LIFE period, building on the knowledge acquired within the project on the distribution and conservation status of coastal lagoons and salt meadows. This is especially true in the Marais Breton Natura 2000 site (SAC FR5200653) where coastal lagoons had not been given great focus before the project’s activities. In that area, the project pilot site of Millac marsh has really served as a model and drove other landowners or managers to undertake actions to restore their salt marshes. The project also significantly contributed to the revision of the agri-environmental and climate measures dedicated to salt producers, with different specifications in Guérande peninsula and in Marais Breton. This measure is a key tool to support the biodiversity-friendly management of saltmarshes.
In addition, Baccharis halimifolia was managed across 200.7 ha. Monitoring between 2021 and 2024 showed varying success across territories, with reduced Baccharis coverage on Noirmoutier Island and more mixed results in Guérande and Mès marshes. Rodent control was also carried out through trapping, with operations from 2019-2023 in the salt marshes. The project therefore also contributed to the implementation of the EU IAS regulation, although the work needs to be pursued after the end of the project to achieve effective results. In this purpose for instance, the agri-environmental measure dedicated to salt producers in Guérande peninsula includes specifications for the collective control of Baccharis halimifolia.
A new LIFE project proposal was also submitted in September 2024, under the name of LIFE Palustris. It aims to preserve coastal marshes in the French Atlantic coast. It incorporates crucial insights from LIFE Sallina, particularly those concerning the creation of breeding islets or techniques for fighting against Baccharis.
The impacts on avocet populations and other coastal birds are particularly remarkable. For instance, in Guérande and Mès saltmarshes, over the project period, the number of avocet pairs increased from 459 in 2019 to 1 154 in 2023 (+250%) and the LIFE islets hosted about 14% of the breeding population. Other laro-limicolae species also benefited from the project work, such as Himantopus himantopus and Ichthyaetus melanocephalus (both listed in annex 1 of the Bird directive), Chroicocephalus ridibundus (listed in annex II of the Bird directive) and Charadrius dubius (listed in annex II of Bern convention). On Millac marsh, the average number of avocet pairs increased from 35.5 in 2019 to 117.5 in 2023 (+ 330%). In Noirmoutier as well, the creation of 4 islets on the Doridon saltmarsh resulted in an increased number of breeding laro-limicolae birds, such as Recurvirostra avosetta but also Sterna Hirundo (listed in annex 1 of the Bird directive), Ichthyaetus melanocephalus and Chroicocephalus ridibundus.
As for the impacts on habitats, some positive outcomes were registered during the final surveys, especially on coastal lagoons, but these need to be further solidified with additional surveys that are planned in the after-LIFE period.
One of the project’s main takeaways is that it worked closely with economic operators, especially salt producers. For instance, 5 formerly abandoned salt marshes restored within the project returned to production, 3 to salt production and 2 to oyster farming. Long-term land lease agreements with environmental clauses (bail rural à clauses environnementales in French) were signed with the producers to ensure their compliance with biodiversity-friendly farming practices. In addition, 23 islets were restored or created in Guérande and Mès saltmarshes, in collaboration with salt producers and outside the project pilot sites. A best practices guide, targeting all types of salt marshes users (salt producers but also farmers, hunters, etc.) was produced, with information on the salt marsh habitats and species as well as recommended actions in factsheets. Some factsheets were also translated into English for wider dissemination.
The project also developed awareness-raising activities for the general public, school children, local elected representatives. About 1 303 people were reached through local events, including 550 middle and primary school children (and 384 more children outside LIFE). 7 technical day-long workshops were held, and various communication materials were produced, including 9 panels, 3 travelling exhibitions, 4 videos and a YouTube channel and a brochure on salt marsh biodiversity. A total of 600 copies of the brochure were printed and distributed, with at least one copy sent to each school and tourist information office.
The project team also developed contacts with other salt marsh managers, at the regional, national and European level, attending conferences, presenting the project in technical workshops and organising 2 study tours. The first tour took place on the French Southern Atlantic coast (Oléron island) and then on the French and Spanish Mediterranean coast. Lastly, the project organised a European seminar in March 2023 that attracted around 190 participants from France, Spain and Bulgaria.
