français     Deutsch     home.

  Lavours Marsh Nature Reserve.
 
  The wetlands of Lavours, at the foot of the Grand Colombier, (1534 metres, 5,032 feet), is one of the last great continental marshes of Western Europe;
    For many years, the Marais de Lavours was worked for its peat and its clay. It has also been extensively used for stock farming.
    However, a decline in agriculture activities caused the marsh to be abandoned in the twentieth century. To protect the environment, the Nature Reserve was created in 1984. It stretches over an area of 474 hectares (1,170 acres).
    Starting in 1987, Highland cattle were brought into the Reserve as well as Camargue horses to maintain the extensive pastureland, which is essential to protect the marshes.
    A 2,400 metre long educational nature-trail on a raised wooden walkway leads through a part of the Reserve. Signs along the walkway help to explain the biodiversity of the marshes.
    Thanks to the Reserve museum that houses permanent and interactive exhibitions, you can discover the heart of the marshes.

• An innovative presentation housed in four buildings in Aignoz (on the western boundary of the Reserve). The ‘Maison de la Réserve’ includes an auditorium of sixty seats and totals some 320 square metres of exhibition and demonstration space.

Opening hours (entry fee payable):

from June 3rd to August 25th 2002

open every day from 10H to 18H30

from August 26th to September 22nd 2002

open Tuesday to Sunday, from 10H30 to 18H

the remainder of the year

open weekends from 13H30 to 18H.

français     Deutsch     home.