Etang Salé de Courthézon
Etang Salé de Courthézon
Description
Welcome to the Etang Salé natural site, a designated "Espace Naturel Sensible", in the commune of Courthézon. Come and explore the 2km discovery trail, lined with educational panels. Adapted for motor/visual disabilities, picnic area.
The Etang salé is a natural depression, fed solely by runoff and rainwater (this wetland was already shown on a Cassini map in 1550).
In the Middle Ages, the Etang or Côte Ronde estate belonged to the Princes of Orange, who used it to extract salt.
Since this operation was not very profitable, a network of ditches and drainage galleries built in 1805 led to the evacuation of the surface salt.
These developments enabled the cultivation of plots of land, often for fodder crops. They were gradually abandoned in the course of the 20th century.
In 2001, the accidental collapse of the main drainage gallery led to the salt pond being flooded again.
The reed beds and associated species quickly reclaimed their rights, revealing an important and remarkable wetland natural entity on the Vaucluse plain.
Aware of the rarity of this ecosystem in the Vaucluse region, the commune of Courthézon and its partners undertook restoration work in 2010 to improve the hydrological and biological functioning of the wetland, enhance its landscape and develop an educational approach.
Etang salé naturally acts as a rainwater retention basin.
It is a reservoir of biodiversity, home to specific breeding and nesting avifauna, amphibians and a whole host of animal and plant species associated with the presence of a wetland.
It is also a place for walking and a space for raising environmental awareness.
"When visiting a Sensitive Natural Area, adopt the right gestures and appropriate behavior: don't take any species, don't pick any flowers, keep your garbage with you, be discreet so as not to disturb the animals and stay on the paths."
In the Middle Ages, the Etang or Côte Ronde estate belonged to the Princes of Orange, who used it to extract salt.
Since this operation was not very profitable, a network of ditches and drainage galleries built in 1805 led to the evacuation of the surface salt.
These developments enabled the cultivation of plots of land, often for fodder crops. They were gradually abandoned in the course of the 20th century.
In 2001, the accidental collapse of the main drainage gallery led to the salt pond being flooded again.
The reed beds and associated species quickly reclaimed their rights, revealing an important and remarkable wetland natural entity on the Vaucluse plain.
Aware of the rarity of this ecosystem in the Vaucluse region, the commune of Courthézon and its partners undertook restoration work in 2010 to improve the hydrological and biological functioning of the wetland, enhance its landscape and develop an educational approach.
Etang salé naturally acts as a rainwater retention basin.
It is a reservoir of biodiversity, home to specific breeding and nesting avifauna, amphibians and a whole host of animal and plant species associated with the presence of a wetland.
It is also a place for walking and a space for raising environmental awareness.
"When visiting a Sensitive Natural Area, adopt the right gestures and appropriate behavior: don't take any species, don't pick any flowers, keep your garbage with you, be discreet so as not to disturb the animals and stay on the paths."
Opening
OPEN_ALL_YEAR Open all year round. OPEN_ALL_YEAR
Services
Pets allowed
Equipment
Sustainable development equipment
Dry toilets
Picnic area
Parking
Free parking
