By decree of October 9, 2024, co-signed by the maritime prefect of the Atlantic and the prefect of the Loire-Atlantique department, new regulations come into force on the Traicts du Croisic hunting and wildlife reserve (RCFS). This project was supported by the Loire-Atlantique Hunters’ Federation (FDC) since 2022.
What are the Croisic traits?
The Traicts du Croisic, a semi-enclosed bay of 680 ha of mudflats and sandbanks located between Guérande, La Turballe, Le Croisic and Batz-sur-Mer, constitute a site of European interest with an exceptional natural heritage. Very popular with walkers and water sports enthusiasts for its landscapes which vary with the tides and for the navigation conditions it offers, the site is above all an important shellfish production basin.
specifies the prefecture in a press release.
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What regulations?
Management is entrusted to the FDC44. The decree allows the expansion of the perimeter of the RCFS with the integration of the Sissable point. Restrictions will be put in place following two periods: a more sensitive winter period for species, during which access on foot or by vehicle, with or without a dog, and water activities are prohibited, and a less sensitive summer period. during which access and water activities are authorized, under certain conditions. An agent recruited by the FDC will be present full-time at Le Croisic to ensure surveillance of the reserve.
What species on the site?
It is precisely the omnipresence of shellfish (and the ecosystem associated with it) that attracts thousands of migratory birds each winter by offering them a source of food near their resting areas. Among them, three heritage species: the black-tailed godwit, the little egret and the brant (which feeds on dwarf eelgrass, a protected sea grass, also present in the treaties).
indicates the prefecture.
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What are the issues?
It is essential to preserve this place. The numbers that come to winter each year in the tracts and salt marshes of Guérande represent, for certain species, a significant part of the world population.
continues the prefecture. The Croisic Traicts, for example, are home to 10% of the world population of the Icelandic subspecies of the black-tailed godwit, or 4,500 birds.
What are the dangers for this site?
The overcrowding of the site at certain periods, linked in particular to the various leisure activities practiced in the traicts, causes disturbances in the feeding and rest of species during their winter stay
.
What is a hunting and wildlife reserve?
RCFS are non-hunting zones aimed at the preservation and protection of wildlife species and their habitats. In 1973, an RCFS was established, covering 490 of the 680 ha of the Traicts du Croisic. Its sole purpose is to prohibit hunting within its perimeter.
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