Area: 44 ha
Location: South of Brittany, Morbihan Bay
Number of inhabitants:
Yearly: 1 (coastline guardian)
Number of visitors:
Tourists: 10,000 to 15,000 per year
Protected island: yes
Terrestrial protection status: Natura 2000
Marine protection status: Development scheme for the Gulf of Morbihan Sea
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Ilur Island is a small island located in the heart of the Morbihan Bay, in Brittany. Its landscapes are extremely rich, as is its biodiversity. There are a few houses and a chapel on the island, but no one lives there apart from the coastal guardian. No regular connection with the continent is ensured for the moment.
GEOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION
Ilur is located in the southeast of the island of Artz, to which it is administratively attached. It has the third largest area among the thirty or so islands in the Gulf with 44 hectares, behind the Monks Islands and Artz Island. It is 1.3km long and its width varies from a few meters to 750m. Its maximum altitude is 17 meters. Since 2008, the Coastal Conservatory has owned the island, which is managed by the Regional Natural Park of the Morbihan Bay.
SOCIO-CULTURAL CONTEXT
The first traces of occupation on the island date back to the Paleolithic and Roman times. Until the middle of the 20th century, a few peasant families lived on the island. They cultivated their vegetable gardens and raised a few animals, in addition to their main activity: growing vines. In the 1950s, agriculture was gradually abandoned in favor of clam parks, which appeared on the island’s coast. A hamlet of a few houses is located on the east coast of the island. It was rehabilitated after several decades of neglect. The chapel from the end of the 19th century hosts a special mass every summer for the inhabitants of the Gulf Islands.
Since 2009, the monitoring of the island has been entrusted by the SIAG (body for the foreshadowing of the Morbihan Regional Natural Park) to a guard, who lives there year-round and raises a flock of sheep. He seasonally welcomes the few visitors who have the capacity to make it to the island on their own.
ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
Economic activities have been limited on the island since the 1950s. However, in recent years, the Coastal Conservatory and the SIAG have made efforts to develop ecotourism. A permanent exhibition housed in restored buildings, a playground and picnic area are available to the 10 to 15,000 visitors who visit the island of Ilur each year. The imminent opening of cottages and the creation of a regular shuttle operated by an electro-solar boat should further promote the development of ecotourism. The purpose of these actions is to transform the island of Ilur into a pilot territory for raising public awareness of the preservation of natural island environments.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT
Despite its small size, Ilur has many land and sea habitats. Deciduous and coniferous trees cover a part of the isalnd, while numerous embankments, separating the old cultures, crisscross the pastures that a flock of sheep regularly maintains. The flora is beautifully diverse, with more than 80 varieties of fungi and 138 species of plants including Pellicier’s toadflax and sand flax, both of which are rare and endangered species. In addition to this, the mudflats, islets, beaches, dunes, and coastal marshes are all natural environments that attract more than 100 species of nesting, wintering and migrating birds to the island and its foreshore.
SPECIFIC CHALLENGES
With tourist numbers increasing steadily, the island is turning to the development of eco-responsible tourism. The key issues are the preservation and enhancement of the natural (fauna, flora, landscape, etc.) and historical heritage. The managers of the island also aim at making it self-sufficient in water and renewable energy. The establishment of a carbon neutral transport system is also essential to be able to manage the increase in the influx of visitors and ensure the permanent presence of the guardian.