Baza danych projektów PROW

Collaboration between different local authorities in the Calvados department, Basse-Normandie region, helped setting off the natural beauty of the Gast water-plant and facilitated access to it.

The original eco-system of the Gast water-plant dam reservoir and its surroundings represents an area of great interest because of its flora, fauna and environment. The grove has a privileged environment that contributes ensuring this territory a specific rural identity. Unfortunately this specificity is very little emphasized and often not even recognised by the inhabitants of the area. For this reason the LAG Pays du Bessin au Virois decided to cooperate with local authorities to improve the attractiveness of the area and therefore increase its touristic potential.

The main objective of the project was to identify, describe and evaluate the ecosystems around the Gast water plant in order to better understand their functioning and to exploit the potential of the area for the development of eco-tourism activities. In addition to this goal, the project aimed to educate local population about the need to preserve environment and biodiversity around the Gast plant, and to make them perceiving it as an asset for the development of the region.

The LAG together with associations working in the fields of water, environment protection, and rural enhancement cooperated together to: i) establish an inventory of fauna and flora of the area; ii) build fences; iii) plant an orchard, hedges and copses; iv) develop an interpretive trail and bird observatory; v) define management and evaluation measures in order to preserve biodiversity.

As a result, the project helped to preserve and promote the natural beauty of the grove and increase local population's awareness about the potential of the area. The inventory enabled to discover some areas yet insufficiently known and exploited, strengthening their touristic potential.

Bringing together public actors and various associations in integrated actions implemented at local level stimulates cooperation between different kind of stakeholders and a holistic approach to the development of environmental, economic and educational themes.

Pays du Bessin au Virois, Calvados Department

Basse Normandie

Hexagone

178 458

62 246

116 212

Adriana BARSAN

leader@bessin-virois.fr

+33 (0) 2 31 67 57 01

French