Immerse yourself in the history of this nature reserve and learn more about the anecdotes and evolution of this now protected natural site.
Orpellières means… “Peeled Orb“: normal, it is the old delta of the Orb (this coastal river moved further west, at Valras-Plage, to flow into the Mediterranean). The Orb – so named by the Greek geographer and historian Strabo – has therefore left it to time to create a beach, a dune belt, vast salt meadows and sansouïres, where a host of plants and animals with strange names (the peplitic spurge or Edwards’ psammodromus, does that ring a bell?) have found their happiness.
In 1980, the Conservatoire du Littoral bought this entire area from the communes of Valras-Plage and Sérignan, transforming it into a biodiversity sanctuary. Because a barrier beach of this type and in one piece is rare around the Mediterranean of Languedoc, it has been included in the Natura 2000 network, and is the subject of various restorations of the biotope and the dunes.
But protecting nature is everyone’s business. Hence the project to develop the site, to make it accessible, understandable… and expensive for everyone! It has been open to the public since 1 July 2021.
