The delta's biological riches – but also its fragility
What are the conservation problems?
The difficulties in conserving the natural environment of the delta are compounded by the fact that it is subject to assaults from a number of different quarters. Some examples: • water drawn from the Rhône for irrigation purposes contains pollutants, some of which find their way into the étangs. Heavy metals and pesticides get into the food chain, and contaminate fish and fish-eating birds; • as the sea rises, the dunes (and their remarkable flora) are more and more exposed to the ravages of storms. Tourists are also responsible for a certain amount of damage. The vegetation suffers, which leads to further erosion; and in fact there is a risk that the dunes will eventually disappear altogether; • the Sansouires, which are salt plains of great biological value, are shrinking, due to over-grazing and conversion to agricultural land; • some rare species of gull have low reproduction rates, and, though their numbers are still quite large, they are preyed upon by rodents. The shortage of young birds is putting the future of these populations at risk; • protected environments provide thousands of birds with resting sites. But for food they have to rely on the surrounding, privately-owned marshes, where hunting takes place.
"Ganivelles" (sand traps)
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