The City of La Rochelle is proud to have been named "Best Municipality for Biodiversity 2026." This national distinction rewards the municipality's initiatives aimed at preserving and restoring local biodiversity, especially in key sites such as the Tasdon marsh, Chef de Baie, and the Minimes beach.
Several actions contributed to this recognition: restoration of wetlands, protection of ecological continuities, adapted management of natural spaces, species monitoring, renaturation projects, and coastal adaptation. The major project to restore the Tasdon marsh and the Moulinette river has recreated wetlands over 2.5 km and re-established connections with the ocean.
These developments have encouraged the return of numerous species. Approximately sixty species of nesting birds have been recorded, including the Elegant Avocet and the Black-winged Stilt. Fifteen species of bats have been identified, and the return of migratory fish confirms the site's reconnection with the ocean.
This award follows the labeling of the Tasdon marsh as a Sensitive Natural Area (ENS) in June 2026 by the Department of Charente-Maritime. This 194-hectare area, spanning La Rochelle, Aytré, and Périgny, aims to preserve biodiversity, raise environmental awareness, prevent floods, and store carbon.
Other sites in La Rochelle also benefit from these actions. In Chef de Baie, natural meadows have replaced former intensive agricultural plots, military areas have been renatured, and facilities have been created for reptiles and bats. The coastal path has been set back to accommodate coastal evolution while preserving coastal flora.
On Minimes beach, the nesting of the Kentish Plover observed in 2020 led to preserving a part of the beach from mechanical maintenance. Since then, about thirty plant species have spontaneously recolonized the area, including some protected species. The vegetation also helps to fix sand and recreate habitats favorable to fauna.
Through these various projects, the City continues its approach of restoring natural environments, preserving species and their habitats, and reconciling biodiversity with human uses in an urban and coastal territory.
