Nature meets culture

The only nature reserve within the listed Loire Valley World Heritage site, Saint-Mesmin National Nature Reserve is located downstream of Orléans and predates the inscription. It protects a 5-mile (9-km) stretch of the River Loire, a narrow ribbon of nature, flowing between dykes, farmland and urban areas. Its landscapes are shaped by the river’s rising and falling water levels. Wooded areas that have sprung up spontaneously in the reserve and elsewhere are a sign of a thriving natural environment.

Three entities can be distinguished in this area:

• The island of Saint-Pryvé-Saint-Mesmin, which is steeped in history since it already gained recognition as a sanctuary for birds in the 1950s. This led to the first nature reserve in 1975, which was then extended in 2006, with the present-day boundaries.
• The Pointe de Courpain, confluence of the Loire and Loiret rivers, which is home to a floodplain forest covering 32 acres (13 ha) - a sizeable area in an environment which has been largely shaped by human action.
• The islands of Mareau-aux-Prés, a series of 4 small islands with very different features: from the exposed sandbank, across which vegetation has gradually encroached, to a wooded area perched more than 16 feet (5 m) above the water, a relic of an island formed in the 1940s.

Between large urban city and traditional agriculture, Saint-Mesmin nature reserve is not only a protection site for Loire biodiversity but also a place for walkers, visitors and users to come and relax and unwind.
The issues it faces are varied: rich historical heritage(La Chapelle-Saint-Mesmin Church, Cross of Micy, Fourneaux Beach), tourism-related issues (GR3 long-distance hiking trail, La Loire à Vélo cycle route, etc.), safety-related issues, with the requirement to factor in the flood risk and, lastly, issues related to the living environment, for the many locals or residents of the wider urban area who come to wander along the Loire riverbanks, in the reserve or beside it.

Various different stakeholders directly associated with the Loire work together to manage such a space: municipalities, users, authorities and riverside owners. Seeking to protect it without consulting them would be wishful thinking.
With that in mind, Loiret Nature Environnement, the association managing Saint-Mesmin Nature Reserve, like other nature reserves across France, has set itself the following 4 missions:

• Protect the fauna, flora, habitats and landscapes, ensuring compliance with the regulations enshrined in the ministerial decree establishing the reserve.
• Learn about the natural heritage, fauna and flora, by compiling inventories across all spheres of biodiversity, to find out what we are protecting and to gain a clearer understanding of how ecosystems function.
• Manage the areas and environments to support heirloom species and address the key issues shaping the region.
• Promote the wealth of native Loire species and raise awareness among various audiences to improve local appreciation and hope for greater respect towards species and environments.

Saint-Mesmin Nature Reserve may well be a protected area, but it is also somewhere visitors escape to get away from the urban setting and its hustle and bustle: for a breath of fresh air in nature, during a walk, a jog or a cycle ride, an impromptu family picnic, a hike, an outing to walk the dog or as somewhere for birdwatchers to come and practise their hobby… The reserve is therefore accessed for all kinds of reasons!
In hot weather, the Loiret riverbanks are a popular destination. People flock to them, generating various impacts on the natural environment: swimming, campfires, littering, vehicles, loud music... in short, a far cry from how we imagine a nature reserve to be! The managing authority must therefore take into account the appeal of certain sites and find compromises to balance their objectives with users’ many aspirations.

Protect AND welcome... This is the big dilemma facing nature reserves. How can nature be protected by keeping this space open to its community, accessible at all times? How can the public be encouraged to spend time in nature, to explore the wonders on their doorstep, while limiting the impacts of excessive visitor numbers on the environment and disturbance of wildlife?

The management plan, a five-year programming document approved by the State, is an essential tool for identifying these considerations and providing solutions so that these seemingly conflicting factors can be reconciled.
The management plan for Saint-Mesmin Nature Reserve was adopted in 2016 and extended until 2021. It is overseen by a Scientific Board, whose members are eminent specialists in a range of subjects (including ornithology, botany and pedology). But the reserve’s governance is also participatory, with an Advisory Management Committee on which 36 members sit (authorities, scientists, local elected officials and users’ representatives).
It was in this framework that joint discussions with the stakeholders concerned were held about the Pointe de Courpain site, which becomes overcrowded with visitors in summer. This not only damages the natural environment but also adversely affects the neighbouring farmland while causing noise pollution for locals.

To reach the confluence under normal conditions, you have to walk for 1.5 miles (2.5 km), a selective distance for some visitors. To mark the difference between the nature reserve and urban green spaces, rubbish bins have been removed - signposts and regulatory information panels are the only furniture.

When entering the reserve, walkers are struck by the abundant plant life: creepers of hops and clematis rise up in search of sunlight; dead trees, left where they are, play a part in the cycle of matter by decomposing. They provide a refuge for myriad insect species, such as the impressive stag beetle, as well as birds (great, middle or lesser spotted woodpeckers) and many types of mushrooms.
This apparent disarray might shock some, as demonstrated by such comments and exclamations as “the undergrowth is dirty!” or “the edges of the path could really do with a clean!” Expectations of orderliness are thus upended and the unbecoming appearance cited. The rationale is often anthropocentric, utilitarian or economic, and the benefits for the balance of the ecosystem are not automatically perceived. Education is therefore essential to explain the merit of this deliberate nature-oriented choice, to allow the forest to evolve freely, while applying rigorous scientific protocols that measure the effects of this on biodiversity.
That’s why staff at the reserve organise outings all year round, for people of all ages to explore and gain a clearer understanding of the hidden life of nature beside the Loire. Along two freely accessible educational trails, the public can also find out about key species like beavers or otters, as well as fascinating facts about common plant varieties such as brambles and ivy.

But the most popular access point for summer visitors, looking for peace and quiet beside the cool water, is located on the other riverbank, where the Loire levee makes parking possible just 100 metres from the Loiret...
Several years of consultations have been necessary between local stakeholders, elected officials, owners, farmers and managers, with support from the Centre-Val de Loire Regional Directorate for the Environment, Development and Housing (DREAL) and Loiret county-level authority (DDT). The solution chosen to try and ease pressure on this site involves keeping vehicles at a distance, by erecting barriers.
It has been possible to reach a consensus in return for summer closure only - the first decisive step towards improving protection of the site. So the river can only be reached via environmentally friendly travel means, in keeping with the goals of the protected area, i.e. cycling, scooters or walking.

Across the rest of the reserve, often the only form of riverside woodland present is a narrow border of trees. And yet this is an essential wildlife corridor, a border between land and water that harbours a wealth of biodiversity.
The riverside woodland has already shrunk amid strong pressure not only from locals and walkers who want to enjoy views of the Loire but also from elected officials who cite aesthetic and safety grounds, which are quite understandable.
It’s true that, not so long ago, in a past that the older generation still remembers, there were many grazing areas, wood was cut to provide logs for fireplaces and the landscape looked out over the Loire. Things are different now, the site’s listing as a nature reserve has highlighted the ecological emergency of safeguarding these riverside woodlands. But the perceptions of a Loire “of old” that used to be vast and open resonate deeply in the psyche of longtime residents along the riverbanks.
In a bid to address this strong social pressure for views over the Loire, the management plan provides an overview of the region and identifies major viewpoints, vulnerable areas that need protecting and less sensitive spots where it is possible to open up views across the landscape. The challenge is to adopt a cohesive, holistic approach to avoid the trap of disjointed measures that are only taken in individual interests. There would be no shortage of such demands, leading to a slow decline of this habitat that has been identified as a priority. As such, openings in the landscape are clearly mapped and new viewpoints only concern sites populated with invasive, non-native species such as the box elder tree for example.

This stretch of the Loire not only connects its upstream and downstream sections, but is also a defining landmark for the population and the region’s identity. In such a context, there’s no doubt that Saint-Mesmin Nature Reserve is a place where this culture must be respected while protecting nature... A straightforward challenge? Perhaps not, but it’s one well worth taking up, that’s for sure!

Damien Hemeray
Conservation Manager, Saint-Mesmin Nature Reserve