BIODIVERSITY

The wildlife

The forest

The coast

BiodiversityThe Wildlife

Presentation of wildlife in the Landes forest :

The Wood pigeonIt is found in many places (city, park, forest, culture ...) It is a migratory bird that passes through Les Landes. It is herbivorous. Hunters are eagerly waiting for this moment every autumn in Les landes, It's part of our tradition !!

The RoeIt is found in forests or near crops. We recognize the male from the female thanks to the wood on its head. They move in herds. They feed exclusively on grass fruit and cereals.

The Wild boarIt is found only in the forest, all females and males are alone. They move in herds. Boars are omnivores (herbs, fruit, acorn ..). In our region we pay attention with the car because they can cause accidents !

The StagIt is found in forests. The male is often on his own, while the female is called a doe with fawns. They are placed in herds. The deer are herbivores.

The BadgerIt is found in burrows in the forest. It lives at night and rests in winter. It feeds on small animals (mice, voles ..) roots and seeds.

The FoxIt is found in burrows in the forests. It is carnivorous and feeds on rabbits, mice, mouse ....

The WoodcockIt is found in forests in the fall and winter because it is a migratory bird. It is a solitary bird which feeds on insects and worms. .

The PheasantIt is found in forests and near crops. The male called cock is solitary but the female called hen screws with the small. They feed on insects and seeds.

The jay

THE COL GREEN DUCK

It is found in forests and parks where there are oaks. It is a sedentary animal. It is omnivorous and eats (acorns, cereals, fruit, egg, lizard...).

It is found near ponds or streams. They are migratory birds who live as a couple. It only eats seeds.

It is found near areas of water (Lakes, estuaries,...) It is a migratory bird that breeds in France. It only eats plants and seeds.

L’OIE CENDREE

It is found in burrows near freshwater zone. It is herbivore and lives mainly in the dark.

THE COYPU

It is found near water (marshes, lakes, ponds...). It feeds exclusively on fish

LA GRUEIt is found in fields of culture. It feeds on grass, insects and seeds. It is a migratory bird that is protected in France. It is sometimes found on the site of Arjuzanx near Mont de Marsan,

THE HERON

The Landes forest is the largest forest in France. Before the storm Klaus in January 2009, it covered about 67% of the department.

The Landes forest

Klaus : the storm24 January 2009

Today more than 60% of the trees are on the ground, useless.

It is a real disaster for the forest and wood industry.

A generation of work destroyed in a few hours.

The forest today

Three years after the storm Klaus, which devastated 230,000 hectares, the Landes forest is slowly regaining its original shape. The objective is to replant 40 million trees by 2017 thanks to financial support ( 415 million euros)In the forest more species can be found such like :

Chataignier -Chestnut tree

Chêne -Oak tree

Fougere Aigle - FernBruyere -Heather

Cultivate the forest to preserve

it

The forest of Les Landes de Gascogne is grown for its TIMBER ,the sector represents 30,000 jobs in France,

The presence of a dynamic sector of transformation is the condition to the preservation and to the development of the forest.

Paper mill of Mimizan

The annual production at the Mimizan site is 150 000 tonnes of paper pulp and more than 150,000 tons of brown paper for packaging,

The wood comes from our region.All products are biodegradable and recyclable.

Groupe Gascogne provides employment for 1000 people on the Communauté de communes of Mimizan.

The coast

The coast is more than 106 km long. Associated with the Gironde coast, it forms the largest sandy beach in Europe. It has a rich natural environment.

The biodiversity

•For years the fish have disappeared on the coast . Overfishing, capture of young fishes in the nets, concreting, have desertified most area yet very rich.•The Association for the Defence Research and Study of the Aquitaine Coast Marine (ADREMCA) and Aquitaine Landes Reefs (ALR) set up artificial reefs.

An artificial reef, what is it?

An artificial reef is a submerged structure set up intentionally by man, in order to create, protect or restore an ecosystem.

More than 10 rare animal species are present

The flora on the coast

More than a hundred plant species are present on the site : eight of them are endemic, five nationally protected and two regional.

Plants found on the dune