, iucn_category = , photo = File:Roselière de Pauillac et carrelets sur l'estuaire de la Gironde, France.jpg , photo_caption =

Reed bed A reedbed or reed bed is a natural habitat found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions and estuaries. Reedbeds are part of a succession from young reeds colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground. As ...

on the

Gironde estuary The Gironde estuary ( , US usually ; french: estuaire de la Gironde, ; oc, estuari de aGironda, ) is a navigable estuary (though often referred to as a river) in southwest France and is formed from the meeting of the rivers Dordogne and Gar ...

Pauillac Pauillac (; oc, Paulhac) is a municipality in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. The city is mid-way between Bordeaux and the Pointe de Grave, along the Gironde, the largest estuary in western Europe. Popul ...

, photo_width=300 , map = France , relief = yes , map_caption = Location of Marine Nature Park , location =

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine (; oc, Nòva Aquitània or ; eu, Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Novéle-Aguiéne'') is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by t ...

, coordinates = , coords_ref = , area_km2 = 6500 , established = , website= , governing_body= The Gironde estuary and Pertuis sea Marine Nature Park is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

on the

and on the Atlantic coast of the departments

Vendée Vendée (; br, Vande) is a department in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France, on the Atlantic coast. In 2019, it had a population of 685,442.

Charente-Maritime Charente-Maritime () is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on the southwestern coast of France. Named after the river Charente, its prefecture is La Rochelle. As of 2019, it had a population of 651,358 with an area of 6,864 square kil ...

and

Gironde Gironde ( US usually, , ; oc, Gironda, ) is the largest department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,62 ...

, in western

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It was created in April 2015.

Geography

Périmètre PNM estuaire de la Gironde et mer des Pertuis

The Marine Nature Park covers 6,500 km2 of marine area and encompasses all the Pertuis narrows, estuaries, the Gironde plume and extends off shore to a 50-metre water height. As the largest estuary in Western Europe, the

is subject to very strong tidal currents and small islands appear and disappear at the whim of the river. It is located just downstream of the centre of

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

. 114 coastal towns are part of the park along 1,000 kilometres of coastline. The management board is in Marennes. Other main coastal towns are (from north to south):

Saint-Martin-de-Ré Saint-Martin-de-Ré (, literally ''Saint-Martin of Ré''; Saintongeais: ''Sént-Martin-de-Ré'') is a commune in the western French department of Charente-Maritime.Sainte-Marie-de-Ré Sainte-Marie-de-Ré (, literally ''Saint Mary of Ré'') is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France. Geography Sainte-Marie-de-Ré is a small village, on the southern coast of the Île de Ré, facing the Île d' ...

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...

Rochefort Rochefort () may refer to: Places France * Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department ** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard * Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department * Rochefort-du-Gard, in the Ga ...

Saint-Pierre-d'Oléron Saint-Pierre-d'Oléron (, ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, French department of Charente-Maritime, southwestern France. It is located on the island of Oléron Island, Oléron. As the largest city on the island, it ...

Le Château-d'Oléron Le Château-d'Oléron (; oc, Lo Chasteu d'Olairon) is a commune located on the Island of Oléron, in the Charente-Maritime department, southwestern France. The town is surrounded by fortifications in the form of a Bastion fort (similar to a ...

La Tremblade La Tremblade () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department and Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in south-western France. Toponymy The name of the town probably derives from the presence of aspen trees (French: ''tremblers'') in the f ...

Saint-Palais-sur-Mer Saint-Palais-sur-Mer (, literally ''Saint-Palais on Sea'') is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France. Population Gallery Image:Ancienne église Saint Pallais.jpg Image:St Palais7.jpg Image:Sentier à Saint-Pala ...

Royan Royan (; in the Saintongeais dialect; oc, Roian) is a commune and town in the south-west of France, in the department of Charente-Maritime in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Its inhabitants are known as ''Royannais'' and ''Royannaises''. Capi ...

Soulac-sur-Mer Soulac-sur-Mer (; oc, Solac de Mar, , ), commonly known as Soulac (''Solac''), is a commune in the department of Gironde, administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (formerly Aquitaine), France. It's a seaside resort on Côte d'Argent, in the pe ...

Landscape

Oyster farms, harbours and fishing huts mark the landscapes and the maritime culture. Long sandy beaches attract many tourists.

Flora and fauna

Marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

es,

narrows A narrows or narrow (used interchangeably but usually in the plural form), is a restricted land or water passage. Most commonly a narrows is a strait, though it can also be a water gap. A narrows may form where a stream passes through a tilted ...

reed bed A reedbed or reed bed is a natural habitat found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions and estuaries. Reedbeds are part of a succession from young reeds colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground. As ...

estuaries An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

, foreshores and the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

form a mosaic of habitats particularly favourable to birds and amphihaline fish.

Leatherback turtles The leatherback sea turtle (''Dermochelys coriacea''), sometimes called the lute turtle or leathery turtle or simply the luth, is the largest of all living turtles and the heaviest non-crocodilian reptile, reaching lengths of up to and weights ...

basking sharks The basking shark (''Cetorhinus maximus'') is the second-largest living shark and fish, after the whale shark, and one of three plankton-eating shark species, along with the whale shark and megamouth shark. Adults typically reach in length. ...

gannets Gannets are seabirds comprising the genus ''Morus'' in the family Sulidae, closely related to boobies. Gannets are large white birds with yellowish heads; black-tipped wings; and long bills. Northern gannets are the largest seabirds in the Nor ...

and storm petrels can also be found. Depending on their life cycle, species such as

eels Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...

move through the different estuarine, coastal and marine environments.http://www.aires-marines.com/Ressources/Marine-nature-parks/Marine-Nature-Parks

Gallery

File:Île d'Oleron.png, Satellite view of

Oléron The Isle of Oléron or Oléron Island (french: île d'Oléron, ; Saintongese: ''ilâte d'Olerun''; oc, illa d'Olairon or ; la, Uliarus insula, ) is an island off the Atlantic coast of France (due west of Rochefort), on the southern side of the ...

File:395 - Fort Boyard - Ile d'Aix.jpg, Fort Boyard in the

Pertuis d'Antioche The Pertuis d'Antioche (, ''Passage of Antioch'') is a strait on the Atlantic coast of Western France, between two islands, Île de Ré and Oléron, on the one side, and on the other side the continental coast between the cities of La Rochelle and ...

straits File:Seudre 001.jpg, Oyster farm on the

Seudre The Seudre () is a river in the Charente-Maritime ''département'', southwestern France, flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. It is long. Its source is near Saint-Genis-de-Saintonge. It flows northwest through Saint-André-de-Lidon, Saujon and La T ...

File:Cordouan5.jpg, View from the top of

Cordouan Lighthouse Cordouan lighthouse () is an active lighthouse located at sea, near the mouth of the Gironde estuary in France. At a height of , it is the tenth-tallest "traditional lighthouse" in the world. The Tour de Cordouan, the 'Patriarch of Lighthouses ...

File:Les-carrelets-de-Saint-Palais-sur-Mer-France-DSC 5021.jpg, Fishing at the mouth of the

References

External links

* {{Authority control Nature reserves in France Landforms of Gironde Protected areas established in 2015 Marine parks of France