The Conservatoire du Littoral is carrying out on-site research actions such as historical and prospective analysis on the evolution of the landscapes; updated analysis of the social perception of the users; as well as developing decision-making tools (economic and multi-criteria analyses) around possible long-term evolution scenarios.
Also, a research project, carried out in partnership with the National Museum of Natural History as part of the Adapto project, aims to develop an ecological quality indicator tailored for natural coastal environments. This indicator should allow the description of the reconnection impacts on the ecological quality of natural coastal areas and the monitoring of their evolution. It is pivotal for the Conservatoire du Littoral and its managers that intend to improve the environmental quality of the coast. It also entails the provision of answers to the concerns expressed by various environmental stakeholders about the potential negative impacts of marine reconnection on species relying on these soft environments.
Additionally, the University of Bretagne Occidentale leads a research project called “DPM – PEPPS2 – Scheduled Depolderisation of small Coastal Marshes” to identify, through a cross-sectional approach, the short-term transformation processes caused by the reconnection of small polderised marshes based on the observation and analysis of different ecological areas (fauna, flora, soil…) and by integrating a functional approach of the system.