Haute vallée de la Sarthe

Haute Vallée de la Sarthe translated as the Upper Sarthe VAlley is a Natura 2000 conservation area that is 3,503 hectares in size.[1]

Geography

The area is an Alluvial plain in a valley that commonly floods in winter.[1] It is mainly consisted of sparse natural meadows crossed by a very developed hydrographic network (numerous tributaries, ditches).[2]

It is spread across 29 different communes within the Orne department and 4 within the Sarthe department;[1]

  1. Alençon
  2. Barville
  3. Bazoches-sur-Hoëne
  4. Bures
  5. Buré
  6. Cerisé
  7. Champeaux-sur-Sarthe
  8. Chenay
  9. Coulonges-sur-Sarthe
  10. Hauterive
  11. Héloup
  12. Laleu
  13. Mahéru
  14. Mesnières-en-Bray
  15. Mieuxcé
  16. Moulins-le-Carbonnel
  17. Moulins-la-Marche
  18. Le Ménil-Broût
  19. Le Mêle-sur-Sarthe
  20. Le Plantis
  21. Saint-Agnan-sur-Sarthe
  22. Saint-Aubin-de-Courteraie
  23. Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei
  24. Saint-Germain-du-Corbéis
  25. Saint-Julien-sur-Sarthe
  26. Saint-Léger-sur-Sarthe
  27. Saint-Martin-des-Pézerits
  28. Saint Paterne - Le Chevain
  29. Sainte-Scolasse-sur-Sarthe
  30. Semallé
  31. Valframbert
  32. Villeneuve-en-Perseigne
  33. Les Ventes-de-Bourse

Some parts of this Natura 2000 site are within the Normandie-Maine Regional Natural Park.[3]

Conservation

The conservation area has nineteen species listed in Annex 2 of the Habitats Directive;[4]

  1. Northern crested newt
  2. European bullhead
  3. Cottus perifretum
  4. Brook lamprey
  5. European bitterling
  6. Great capricorn beetle
  7. Marsh fritillary
  8. Jersey tiger
  9. European stag beetle
  10. Hermit beetle
  11. Narrow-mouthed whorl snail
  12. Desmoulin's whorl snail
  13. Western barbastelle
  14. Eurasian otter
  15. Bechstein's bat
  16. Geoffroy's bat
  17. Greater mouse-eared bat
  18. Greater horseshoe bat
  19. Lesser horseshoe bat

In addition the Natura 2000 site has 7 habitats protected under the Habitats Directive.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c "INPN - FSD Natura 2000 - FR2500107 - Haute Vallée de la Sarthe - Description".
  2. ^ "Site Natura 2000 - FR 2500107 "Haute vallée de la Sarthe"" (PDF) (in French). Département de l'Orne Département de la Sarthe.
  3. ^ "CHARTE Natura 2000 de la Haute Vallée de la Sarthe" (PDF) (in French). Parc Naturel regional Normandie-Maine.
  4. ^ a b "EUNIS -Site factsheet for Haute Vallée de la Sarthe". eunis.eea.europa.eu.