Established on 26 February 1974, the Cerbère-Banyuls marine nature reserve is the first marine reserve in France. Spanning some 650 hectares along the Côte Vermeille, it protects an underwater heritage often held up as a benchmark in the Mediterranean.
A protected jewel of the Côte Vermeille
The reserve regulates how the coastline is used in order to preserve habitats and species. Drop-offs, scree slopes and zones of enhanced protection offer a refuge to wildlife and plant life of remarkable diversity, just a stone’s throw from the Catalan border.
Remarkable biodiversity
Scientific surveys record some 1,200 animal species and close to 500 plant species here, estimates set to be refined as inventories continue. Between 15 and 30 metres down, the posidonia meadows sway gently, the true lungs and nurseries of the coast. Deeper still, red and yellow gorgonians and coralligenous reefs, those ‘forests of living stone’ built up by calcareous algae, harbour an abundance of life. All of them fragile habitats, and indicators of the health of the sea.
The Oceanological Observatory and the Biodiversarium
Banyuls also cultivates a long scientific tradition. The Banyuls Oceanological Observatory (Laboratoire Arago, Sorbonne Université / CNRS), founded in 1882, is one of the oldest marine biology stations in France: its teams monitor, among other things, the posidonia meadows and the coralligenous reefs of the Côte Vermeille. Alongside it, the Biodiversarium (an aquarium and Mediterranean garden) bridges researchers, schoolchildren and the general public.
Visiting and understanding
Underwater trails, exhibitions, talks and workshops allow everyone to discover this environment without harming it. This is the whole spirit of MERveille, on 23, 24 and 25 April 2027 on the Quai Georges Petit and the Allées Aristide Maillol: to practise, we must protect. The reserve will be one of the guiding threads of the festival, from supervised outings to citizen science workshops.
The rules of access and conduct within the reserve are strict and subject to change. Always check with the managing bodies before undertaking any activity.