Natural Heritage
The Alsatian Ried
The word "Ried" comes from the Alemannic rieth, meaning reed. It refers to the vast wetlands of the Alsatian plain between the Ill and Rhine rivers — a unique ecosystem in Europe, now under serious threat.
A Unique Ecosystem in Europe
The Grand Ried stretches across roughly 200 km² between Strasbourg and Colmar, in the lowest part of the Alsatian plain. It is fed by two water sources: upwellings from the aquifer (Western Europe's largest freshwater reserve, 35 billion m³) and river floods (Ill and Rhine).
The Ried is not a uniform area but a mosaic of wet meadows, alluvial forests, phreatic rivers and farmland. This habitat diversity makes it one of France's most important biodiversity hotspots.
The Ill*Wald nature reserve (1,855 hectares near Sélestat) alone harbours around 130 bird species, 14 amphibian and reptile species, 32 dragonfly species, and France's largest herd of wild fallow deer (~400 individuals).
The Three Faces of the Ried
The Black Ried
The wettest zone, with black peat and alder swamps. Home to the Donnerloecher ("thunder holes") — crystalline phreatic springs that well up from the aquifer.
The Grey Ried
The Ill river floodplain. Alluvial forests of oak, ash and elm — the most species-rich forest type in the Ried.
The Blond Ried
A narrow strip along the Rhine. Remnants of the great Rhine alluvial forest, directly linked to the river's dynamics.
The Rhine Aquifer
Covering 3,200 km² in Alsace and holding 35 billion m³ of water, it is Western Europe's largest freshwater reserve. It supplies drinking water to over 7 million people. The Ried is the natural outcropping zone of this aquifer — any land sealing directly threatens this vital resource.
Rue89 StrasbourgA Highly Protected Territory
The Ried benefits from overlapping layers of national and international protections — all directly threatened by the Europa Vallée project.
Natura 2000
The "Rhin-Ried-Bruch" complex covers over 38,000 hectares. The Europa Vallée project site directly adjoins the Natura 2000 zone — an even stronger position than the Roybon case.
INPN — FR4201797Ramsar Convention
The "Upper Rhine / Oberrhein" site (22,413 ha on the French side) is one of only 22 transboundary Ramsar sites in the world. According to Ramsar factsheet no. 1810, an average of 55,000 migratory birds stop over here each year.
Ramsar factsheet no. 1810Zero Net Artificialization (2021)
France's ZAN law mandates a 50% reduction in land sealing by 2031. Paving over 60 to 250 hectares runs directly counter to this trajectory.
Nature Reserves
The Ill*Wald (1,855 ha), Alsace's largest regional nature reserve, along with the Rhinau and Offendorf reserves, protect the Ried's last jewels.
Ill*Wald — SélestatSpecies on Borrowed Time
The Ried harbours nationally and European-protected species, some on the verge of extinction.
European Hamster
Cricetus cricetus
The only wild hamster in France, found exclusively in Alsace. Its range shrank from 329 municipalities in the 1970s to just 26 by 2010. Protected since 1993.
SourceEurasian Curlew
Numenius arquata
Europe's largest wading bird, an emblem of the Ried wetlands. From 300 breeding pairs in the 1960s to just 4 pairs in 2024, none of which successfully raised young. According to LPO Alsace, likely zero breeding pairs in 2025.
SourceCorncrake
Crex crex
An emblematic species of alluvial meadows. Only 3 singing males have been identified in recent years in Alsace. Over 90% decline in France since the 1980s.
SourceSiberian Iris
Iris sibirica
A nationally protected flower, classified as 'endangered' on regional, national and European red lists. Typical of the Ried's wet meadows, with its blue flowers and yellowish base.
SourceEuropean Beaver
Castor fiber
Successfully reintroduced into the Ried's waterways, the beaver is an ecosystem engineer that contributes to the natural regulation of wetlands.
European Otter
Lutra lutra
Present in the Ried's phreatic rivers, the otter is an indicator of aquatic habitat quality.
A Heritage in Decline
Since the 1960s, agricultural intensification, drainage and land sealing have destroyed two thirds of the Ried. Corn monoculture has replaced diverse wet meadows.
And now, Europa Vallée? In an ecosystem already in decline, the Mack family's project would add 60 to 250 hectares of additional land sealing — on land directly adjacent to Natura 2000 and Ramsar zones. It is the exact opposite of what the Ried needs.
Sources: Rue89 — Protecting the Rieds, Rue89 — Why so much corn, France 3 — Eurasian Curlew
The Ried deserves protection, not concrete.
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