Vallée de l'Orne et ses affluents translated as Orne Valley and tributaries is a
Natura 2000
Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectiv ...
conservation area that is 2,115 hectares in size.
Geography
The area is focused on
Orne
Orne (; or ) is a département in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne. It had a population of 279,942 in 2019.Rouvre, as they flow through the different landscapes of
Norman Switzerland
Norman Switzerland (; ) is a term for part of Normandy, France, in the border region of the departments Calvados and Orne. Its name comes from its rugged and verdant relief, apparently resembling the Swiss Alps, with gorges carved by the river O ...
. These landscapes range from deep gorges, torrential or slow-flowing rivers, wet meadows,
alluvial
Alluvium (, ) is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...
forests,
escarpments
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations.
Due to the similarity, the term '' scarp'' may mistakenly be incorrectly used inte ...
, scree slopes, siliceous ledges, enclosed woods and hedgerows.
It is spread across 21 different communes all within the departments of
Orne
Orne (; or ) is a département in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne. It had a population of 279,942 in 2019.calvados
Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples and/or pears.
History In France
Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Norman distillation was ma ...
Bretteville-sur-Laize
Bretteville-sur-Laize () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France.
The scene of heavy fighting following the Normandy landings, much of the town is of post-World War II construction.
Geography
...
Ménil-Hermei
Ménil-Hermei () is a commune in the Orne department in the Normandy region of north-western France.
Geography
The commune of Ménil-Hermei is part of the area known as Suisse Normande.
The commune is made up of the following collection of ...
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Ménil-Hubert-sur-Orne
Ménil-Hubert-sur-Orne (, literally ''Ménil-Hubert on Orne'') is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.
Geography
The commune is part of the area known as Suisse Normande.
The commune is made up of the following collecti ...
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Le Mesnil-Villement
Le Mesnil-Villement () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France.
Geography
The commune is part of the area known as Suisse Normande.
The commune is made up of the following collection of village ...
Pont-d'Ouilly
Pont-d'Ouilly () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France.
Geography
The commune is part of the area known as Suisse Normande.
The commune is made up of the following collection of villages and ...
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Putanges-le-Lac
Putanges-le-Lac () is a commune in the department of Orne, northwestern France. The municipality was established on 1 January 2016 by merger of the former communes of Chênedouit, La Forêt-Auvray, La Fresnaye-au-Sauvage, Ménil-Jean, Putan ...
Saint-Omer
Saint-Omer (; ; Picard: ''Saint-Onmé'') is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in France.
It is west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais, and is located in the Artois province. The town is named after Sa ...
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Saint-Philbert-sur-Orne
Saint-Philbert-sur-Orne (, literally ''Saint-Philbert on Orne'') is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.
Geography
The commune is part of the area known as Suisse Normande.
The commune is made up of the following collec ...
The conservation area has seventeen species listed in Annex 2 of the
Habitats Directive
The Habitats Directive (more formally known as Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora) is a directive adopted by the European Community in 1992 as a response to the Berne Convention. The ...
;
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Eurasian otter
The Eurasian otter (''Lutra lutra''), also known as the European otter, Eurasian river otter, European river otter, common otter, and Old World otter, is a semiaquatic mammal native to Eurasia and the Maghreb. The most widely distributed member o ...
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European bullhead
The European bullhead (''Cottus gobio'') is a freshwater fish that is widely distributed in Europe, mainly in rivers. It is a member of the family Cottidae, a type of sculpin. It is also known as the miller's thumb, freshwater sculpin, common bu ...
Brook lamprey
The brook lamprey (''Lampetra planeri''), also known as the European brook lamprey and the western brook lamprey is a small European lamprey species that exclusively inhabits freshwater environments. The species is related to, but distinct from, ...
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Sea lamprey
The sea lamprey (''Petromyzon marinus'') is a parasitic lamprey native to the Northern Hemisphere. It is sometimes referred to as the "vampire fish".
It was likely introduced to the Great Lakes region through the Erie Canal in 1825 and the Wel ...
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Atlantic salmon
The Atlantic salmon (''Salmo salar'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. It is the third largest of the Salmonidae, behind Hucho taimen, Siberian taimen and Pacific Chinook salmon, growing up to a meter in length. Atlan ...
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White-clawed crayfish
''Austropotamobius pallipes'' is an endangered European freshwater crayfish, and the only crayfish native to the British Isles. Its common names include white-clawed crayfish and Atlantic stream crayfish.
Distribution
It is found from the easter ...
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Freshwater pearl mussel
The freshwater pearl mussel (''Margaritifera margaritifera'') is an endangered species of freshwater mussel, an Aquatic animal, aquatic bivalve mollusc in the family Margaritiferidae.
Although the name "freshwater pearl mussel" is often used fo ...
Western barbastelle
The western barbastelle (''Barbastella barbastellus''), also known as the barbastelle or barbastelle bat, is a European bat in the genus '' Barbastella''. This species is found from Portugal to Azerbaijan and from Sweden to Canary Islands, where ...
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Greater horseshoe bat
The greater horseshoe bat (''Rhinolophus ferrumequinum'') is an Insectivore, insectivorous bat of the genus ''Rhinolophus''. Its distribution covers Europe, Northern Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Asia. It is the largest of the horseshoe bats i ...
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Lesser horseshoe bat
The lesser horseshoe bat (''Rhinolophus hipposideros'') is a type of small European and North African insectivorous bat, related to its larger cousin, the greater horseshoe bat. As with all horseshoe bats, the species gets its name from its dist ...
Bechstein's bat
Bechstein's bat (''Myotis bechsteinii'') is a species of vesper bat found in Europe and western Asia, living in extensive areas of woodland.
Description
Bechstein's bat is a medium-sized and relatively long-eared bat. The adult has a long, fluf ...
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Greater mouse-eared bat
The greater mouse-eared bat (''Myotis myotis'') is a European species of bat in the family Vespertilionidae.
Description
''Myotis myotis'' is a large bat with a long, broad muzzle and big, long ears. The body's dorsal side is brown to reddish-br ...
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European stag beetle
''Lucanus cervus'', known as the European stag beetle, or the greater stag beetle, is one of the best-known species of stag beetle (family Lucanidae) in Western Europe, and is the eponymous example of the genus. ''L. cervus'' is listed as Near T ...
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Orange-spotted emerald
The orange-spotted emerald (''Oxygastra curtisii'') is a dragonfly in the family Corduliidae. It is the only species in its genus.
The orange-spotted emerald is about long. It has bright green eyes and a bronzy-green body with yellow spots alo ...
In addition the Natura 2000 site has eighteen habitats protected under the
Habitats Directive
The Habitats Directive (more formally known as Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora) is a directive adopted by the European Community in 1992 as a response to the Berne Convention. The ...