It had been a pebble in his shoe for almost fifteen years. The Étretat Demain nature defense association received a package last week containing four pebbles, accompanied by a note from a sender.
It was a tourist overcome by regrets after having watched a report on overtourism in the very coveted town of Étretat broadcast on the program On the Front by Hugo Clément, on France 5 in May 2024, reports France Blue.
In this program, the co-founder of the association called on tourists to no longer collect pebbles on the beaches of the Normandy town. In fact, the beaches of Étretat lose between 300 and 400 kg of pebbles each year, carried away by tourists. Wild removals which are not without effect because the latest collapses are partly due to the lack of pebbles which serve as a natural rampart.
Misinformed visitors
A program which opened the eyes of this woman who was not aware at the time of the consequences of her act and who asked that “these pebbles find their original site, namely the beautiful beach of Étretat. »
In a publication on Instagram, the association, far from throwing stones at them, welcomed this beautiful gesture. “As such, this is proof that most of our visitors are benevolent and simply misinformed,” wrote the association on Instagram, calling for an awareness campaign with panels on the beach.
The association respected the request and returned the pebbles to their natural habitat and hopes that this gesture will be the first stone in raising collective awareness around this issue.
