Marais salants de Guérande et du Més. 01/09/95; Pays de la Loire; 5,200 ha; 47°20'N 002°30'W. Game Reserve. The site consists of saltmarshes, traicts (mud flats) and dune belts formed around 7,000 BC. The marsh area is protected by an important dyke network, requiring constant maintenance to avoid submersion at high tides. The marshes are divided into a mosaic of pans separated by clay mudwalls fed with water by channels. The salt works date back to Roman times. The site exhibits an exceptional assemblage of great floristic wealth supporting numerous rare or protected plants. The very high level of primary production, the highly diversified aquatic environments, combined with greatly differing salinity levels, gives rise to rich algae and invertebrate communities which in turn support the numerous birds species present. The site is important for numerous species of nesting, feeding, resting and wintering migratory birds and waders. The area has a remarkable ethnological and sociological history. Human activities include salt production, hunting, fish farming, shellfish hatcheries. Ramsar site no. 746. [info] Most recent RIS information: 1994.