Until not so long ago, Thilay (1100 inhabitants), like the rest of the Semoy valley which connects France to Belgium, lived a peaceful life. “The town is designed in such a way that people are used to living with the forest,” assures the unlabeled mayor of the village, Nicole Jeannesson. But over the years, hunters and loggers have no longer been the only ones to worry about what is happening in the forest.
An unprecedented tourist influx
In 2012, of the 3,613 hectares over which the forest extends, 3,500 were classified as a Natura 2000 zone. From then on, it was necessary to begin work to preserve the fauna and flora specific to this sector. Then came Covid and the city dwellers who, once freed, rediscovered a taste for nature. “We had to deal with an influx of tourists that we had never seen,” says the mayor who, in 2020, had just been elected. And in particular, the emergence of certain sporting practices which exploded in the good days of 2020 and 2021. Enduro mountain biking has seen an influx of new practitioners. Just like trail running, hiking, bivouac, “and even packraft-trail” explains the mayor. “We now have gravel,” adds Julie Bauduin, Natura 2000 project manager for the Ardennes Regional Natural Park (PNRA).
Work in the field
So, we had to “organize” all these practices. Make sure everyone can find their way there. “We had a lot of meetings,” remembers Nicole Jeannesson. It was necessary to convince, argue, have concessions accepted and find coherent common ground. And without it going in all directions because, once again, Thilay is at the heart of a Natura 2000 zone. “We approached the PNRA,” explains the mayor.
“For mountain biking, for example, we went out into the field, with the club,” reveals Julie Bauduin. We walked the routes together and this allowed us to identify what could be validated or not. We have thus identified 15 routes, where there is little impact. » For climbing, it was the nesting of the peregrine falcon, a protected species, that had to be preserved. “We agreed with the practitioners on the nesting period during which they would not go to the spot,” explains Julie Bauduin. They completely took ownership of the subject. The deal is that the site is closed between February and March. If in March there are no birds, we reopen. But this year, they noticed that a pair of hawks were nesting in May. They warned us and the site was closed for the necessary time. »
A guide to good practices
For all practices, gestures of good behavior have been validated and a guide published, including for the attention of landowners. And for the information of the general public, panels and especially apps have been developed. All validated routes, as well as hunting schedules, are available online. “We avoid everyone meeting up at the same time on Sunday in the forest,” the mayor watches over.
