France to bid to buy Europe’s biggest dune

The Pyla dune located on the coast of southwest France has been famous for attracting millions of tourists, however the problem lies that France does not own it.

The dune of Pyla is known as the biggest sand dune in Europe and is visited by nearly two million visitors a year.

The Plya is one of France’s famous natural attraction because it allows visitors stunning views of the Bay of Arcachon and the Atlantic Ocean.

According to sources approximately 65 percent of the dune region of France is privately owned.

Which makes it difficult for the state and the number of visitors that come to see the sites but are on private owned land.

The French Conservatiore du Littoral has been assigned the task to protect the coastline and in this task they are aiming to place a bid for the land to improve the welcome for visitors and take over management of the area for environmental protection.

With nearly 250 parties owning a portion of the sand dune it makes parking and the entrance to the stairway to the top of the dune complicated with so many owners in terms of who is responsible for upkeep.

France feels the only way this can be handled well for visitors that come to the site is if the state is the sole owner. The Conservatoire du Littoral has authorization to use up to €5.5 million to purchase the sand dune.

Photo by Karine C