When water protects and enhances

Marker 1The clearing where you are standing used to shelter a camp for Harki refugees (Algerian soldiers who fought on the French side during the Algerian war of independence). Harkis assisted in many forestry projects in Lozère, working for the Office National des Forêts (the state body in charge of forests). That explains why the letters FSIRAN, for Français de Souche Islamiste Rapatrié d’Afrique du Nord (Frenchman of Islamic origin repatriated from North Africa), can sometimes be found carved into stones. In 1975 a reservoir was built with their help to protect the forest against fires. In no time, nature has responded to this small disruption: plants have grown up around the basin’s edges, and animal species (toads, frogs, dragonflies, herons, etc.) have discovered an enticing site.