Renowned for its gastronomy and its peaceful atmosphere, the island offers above all an inescapable natural richness whose secrets will be revealed. Protected for many years now, the île de Ré preserves its biodiversity with a lot of care, especially thanks to the locals who cherish and maintain its landscapes. Composed of 45 square km of plant foreshores and 85 square km of land, the island has 890 different plant species, as well as many birds, amphibians and insects.
Ré is distinguished by its very long estuary and the construction of salt marshes from the 15th century, breaking up the Retais landscape into mosaics. The island's many marshes therefore represent an identity element of the heritage of the island of Ré, shaped by both the sea and man over the years. Most of the salt marshes are located in the north of the island. They are therefore excellent places for discovery activities or even bicycle or canoe trips to navigate through the marshes.
In order to ensure optimal preservation of the island's riches, particularly its marshes, the island of Ré has been part of the Pertuis marine nature reserve since 2015. Sheltering numerous plant and animal species that feed in the marshes or have found a home there, inventories of the species present are constantly carried out by professionals. Indeed, thanks to the revenue from the ecotax from which the island has benefited, many programs for the preservation of the marshes have been set up.
The island's state forests
With the rich fauna and flora of its marshes, île de Ré has a diverse range of landscapes whose state-owned forests contribute to the beauty of the island. The latter represent a large area of the island, but have long been lacking due to the lack of vines which used to occupy most of the space. Thus the 4 state-owned pine forests named Lizay, Combe à l'eau, Trousse Chemise and Bois Henri IV only date back to the 1950s. In total, île de Ré today has 1500 hectares of wooded areas, of which the 4 state forests are managed by the National Forestry Office. In the same way as the marshes, the island's forests are the object of special preservation and environmental education with the school outreach from which the little islanders benefit.
The Dunes
Although they are poorly represented, you will have the opportunity to observe dunes during your stay. Presenting a major ecological interest for the richness of its biodiversity, they allow in particular to protect the underground water tables from salt water, to slow down the force of the waves but also to offer a home to many species both plant and animal. These dunes, which bring a particular charm to the island's beaches, are also closely watched. A preservation programme has recently been dedicated to them and consists of improving knowledge of the dune areas, implementing restoration actions, studying their evolution and finally communicating to the inhabitants and tourists about the ecosystem of the dunes and the importance of their protection.
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