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Origin and history

Lilleau des Niges National Nature Reserve, classified in 1980, covers 121 hectares in the north of the island of Ré, in New Aquitaine. Managed by the League for the Protection of Birds (LPO), it protects a fragile ecosystem of salt and mud marshes, essential for migratory avifauna. This site is a key location on the European migration route, home to more than 300 species of birds, some of which are vulnerable such as elegant avocette or the Belon tadorna.

The current landscape is marked by the history of salt marshes, once intensively exploited. Around 1910, two salt sheds were built on the docks of the Old Port of Ports-en-Ré, isolated from the rest of the island. One of them, remaining after the dismantling of the other in the 1950s, was used for storage of up to 2,000 tons of salt. With the decline of saline activity in the 20th century, the harbour lost its commercial role, becoming a modest lobster fishery before falling asleep gradually.

In 1997, the Conservatoire de l'Espace Littoral acquired part of this hangar (300 m2) to create the Maison du Fier. Rehabilitated in 2000 by the community of communes, the building was inaugurated by Jean-Pierre Raffarin, then regional president, and Allain Bougrain-Dubourg, president of the LPO. Designed as a tool to raise awareness of the natural heritage, Maison du Fier offers exhibitions, interactive terminals and educational activities for all audiences, integrating the network of natural poles of Charente-Maritime.

The reserve and its thematic house play a major role in preserving local biodiversity. The marshes, rich in life in spring and summer, host breeding bird colonies such as the white snail or the red tern. The mudflats, discovered at low tide, become in autumn and winter a refuge for thousands of migratory birds, such as Brant Geese or ash coullis. These environments, maintained by the Sauniers, illustrate an ancestral cohabitation between human activities and nature.

In terms of tourism, the Maison du Fier is part of a process of valuing the heritage. It completes a cultural offer including other sites such as the Platinum house or the salty Marais ecomuseum. Since 1980, the LPO has organized activities, including Bird's Day, attracting up to 30,000 visitors annually. The site, accessible by a bike path, symbolises the island of Re's commitment to sustainable and educational tourism.

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