Former saltworks of Salin-de-Giraud and Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, Camargue Regional Natural Park, Arles, Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur, France
Ongoing implementation
Landscape level
A 6,500-hectare former saltworks in the Camargue is being transformed into a functional coastal wetland and flood-buffer zone. Since 2011, managers have reconnected lagoons to the sea and adjacent hydrosystems, abandoned seafront dykes, adapted inland defences, and created bird breeding islets. The adaptive, nature-based approach reduces marine submersion risk, restores habitat quality, and supports research, education and recreation—at lower cost than maintaining hard coastal defences.
Much of the Camargue lies below 1 m elevation and is highly exposed to storm surges and sea-level rise. Historic polderisation, canalisation of the Rhône, and salt production disconnected water bodies and reduced sediment inputs, accelerating coastal erosion. Following acquisition by the Conservatoire du littoral, the site’s vocation shifted from industrial saltworks to wetland restoration, with a strategy to provide “accommodation space” for coastal dynamics while protecting people and assets further inland.
Managers restored gravitational water flows by dredging channels and reconnecting the former salt ponds with adjacent lagoons and the Mediterranean. Seafront dykes were abandoned to allow natural coastal processes (e.g., sandbar formation), while an inland dike was adapted and consolidated to protect people and assets. Artificial islets were created for colonial waterbirds, and ongoing monitoring guides adaptive management to rising sea levels and coastal dynamics.
The intervention focused on reversing the highly engineered water regime created for industrial salt production across the former Camargue saltworks (over 6,500 ha) by re-establishing more natural hydrological functioning and allowing coastal processes to operate with fewer constraints. The site, located in the Rhône delta within the Camargue Natural Regional Park (communes of Arles/Salin-de-Giraud and Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer), had been compartmentalised into lagoons and ponds for salt concentration, with seafront dykes and controlled pumping that disconnected water bodies from surrounding sub-watersheds and the Mediterranean.
Following acquisition by the Conservatoire du Littoral, the restoration was initiated in 2011 under an adaptive management strategy led by the Camargue Regional Natural Park (coordinating manager) in partnership with the Tour du Valat and the Société Nationale de Protection de la Nature (co-managers). A simplified management plan was drawn up in 2012. The first implementation phase was completed in 2016 within the LIFE+ MC-SALT project framework and in partnership with WWF-France.
Implementation centred on major hydraulic works to rebuild hydrobiological connectivity between the lagoons and marshes of the former salt pans and adjacent hydrosystems (including the Vaccarès lagoon, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Canal du Japon). Key measures included stopping artificial seawater pumping, dredging channels, and constructing new or rehabilitating existing connections so that water could move between the site’s lagoons and surrounding brackish and freshwater ecosystems through gravitational flows. A defining element was the abandonment of the seafront dyke along the coastline, enabling freer exchange with the sea and restoring sediment transfer processes that support natural sandy shore dynamics. This was paired with a broader flood-risk approach in which protection is concentrated further inland: an inland dyke system (noted as originally built in 1859) is to be adapted to protect people and property while the seaward zone functions as a buffer area to absorb storm surges and marine submersion.
To strengthen habitat functions for priority fauna, artificial islets were created to support breeding by Greater Flamingo and other colonial waterbirds (including gulls, terns, and waders). The intervention relied on natural recovery mechanisms once hydrology was reconnected: reduced salinity from restored flows, spontaneous colonisation by vegetation and wildlife, and the ability of storms and coastal dynamics to reshape water paths and sediment forms (such as sandbars) over time.
Governance and implementation were supported by ongoing ecological monitoring to track hydrological and ecological change and evaluate effectiveness, including indicators linked to hydrobiological connectivity and migratory fish presence. Because site conditions were changing rapidly due to the new management system, coastline dynamics, and sea level rise-related meteorological events, interdisciplinary workshops were established to improve understanding of geomorphological and socio-economic dynamics and to steer an adaptive, integrated management process.
Stakeholder engagement targeted local acceptance of the shift from hard coastal defence to controlled, progressive retreat in erosion-prone areas. Dialogue with local actors and residents of Salin-de-Giraud was pursued through public meetings, guided tours, photo exhibitions, and workshops, alongside information panels, brochures, and videos explaining the management choices and climate-change context. A key obstacle was resistance from some inhabitants who struggled to accept abandoning the seafront dyke; the project response highlighted the need for stronger communication and collaboration to sustain acceptance as works continue.
Regulatory compliance for the engineering works required declaration or authorisation following a simplified environmental impact assessment, in line with EU Natura 2000 and Water Framework Directive requirements. The approach aligned with local coastal-risk management guidance, combining a coastline allowed to move with natural sandbar formation and reinforced inland protection for people and assets. Restoration works began in 2011 and are ongoing, with further hydraulic restoration and inland dyke adaptation planned as part of the continuing, long-term adaptive process.
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