Biodiversity Bulletin for the Logne Valley

"In the last three years, my functions have led me to discover the territory of the Grand Lieu basin, whose wealth and diversity deserve to be widely broadcast. With the CPIE's projects, the environment is no longer a concept or a duty, but really an approach integrated in the daily life of the population."

Aurélie Arquier

Le Centre d'animation en Pays de Logne(CAPL) created in 1978 and officially recognized as a CPIE (centre permanent d'initiatives pour l'environnement - permanent center for environmental initiatives) in 2006, is eager to grapple with the social and environmental concerns of the Grand-Lieu and Logne territory. Its projects are aimed to promote social bonds between the various components of the local population by empowerment with respect to the environment, access to shared social life and participation in cultural projects.

To do this, the CPIE is active in the field of education in citizenship and in sustainable development through the management of two extracurricular reception centers, a recreation center, the coordination of a local education project, and the organization of educational modules on the themes of water, waste and biodiversity with the school public.

It also participates in sustainable development of the territory by contributing to the management of natural spaces (management of a regional nature reserve), the dissemination of environment-friendly practices (Osons le jardin naturel - the natural garden), the enhancement of the local nature heritage (annual activity program for the mass public, partnership with the tourism players) and civic involvement (training in composting, participative sciences).

Strong environmental interests, specifically associated with biodiversity

As part of the implementation of the national strategy for biodiversity, the National Union of the CPIE accompanies its network in structuring "Points Info Biodiversité ®", which are aimed to propose a common dynamic for all publics around the knowledge and protection of biodiversity, on a given territory. CPIE Logne et Grand-Lieu forms part of the eleven experimental CPIE nationwide, for the installation of the first Point Info Biodiversité ®.The target territory of CPIE Logne et Grand-Lieu for carrying out this project is the Logne valley, which straddles communes of the Loire-Atlantique and Vendée districts. This valley has powerful environmental assets, specifically associated with the biodiversity, as attested by two ZNIEFF inventories, and a regional nature reserve, the Cailleries damp groves. It also lies at the interface of three areas of major interest for biodiversity: Lake Grand-Lieu, the Brittany marshes, and the Vendée farmland. And the Logne, a tributary of Lake Grand-Lieu, shoulders major responsibility for the good quality of the water of the lake. Yet this predominantly wooded territory, in addition to having undergone sweeping changes since 1950 (reparcelling, urbanization, etc.), suffers today from a severe lack of naturalistic knowledge. This lack of knowledge is reflected by a very poor grasp by the actors of the challenges of biodiversity conservation in the valley. This is why CPIE Logne et Grand-Lieu, through the involvement of all the inhabitants and players in the area, wants to contribute to a closer knowledge and dissemination of the biodiversity of this territory, and thereby, in the longer term, to promote approaches to conservation.

This project benefits from its inception of the Point Info Biodiversité, a tool for knowledge, sharing, awareness raising and protection of the local biodiversity. The creation of the Point Info automatically assists the territory in the construction of a genuine ecological coherence, and its connection to the surrounding nature network: it will contribute through the installation of a green and blue corridor to support the regional pattern of ecological coherence, which is in preparation. A project coordinated and administratively nurtured by CPIE Logne et Grand-Lieu, largely implemented by the CPIE's network of volunteers.