Carried out as part of the LGV East project, the project is the result of a request from the State to create an expansion zone of the waters of the Marne upstream, to reduce the risk of flooding in Paris.
Initially envisaged as a technical basin, the landscapers of the SNCF have modified the project in the design phase in order to guide it in a global approach of eco-design and sustainable development. As a result, the project was designed by taking advantage of the entire available land right-of-way, reusing all on-site earthworks products, and creating biodiversity-friendly environments in a landscape built through the created habitats.
It is therefore a landscaped wetland of 30,000 m² that has been developed. It involves local actors, a guarantee of its sustainability: the management of the site is ensured by a local association of naturalists: La Luciole Vairoise.
This project has become a staging area for migratory species in an urbanized area (TVB) where many animal species are present. The site was subsequently classified as a Natura 2000 Zone because of its significant diversity in fauna and flora.
For more information on the programming of SNCF 2022 Heritage Days "Sustainable Heritage", please visit: https://patrimoine.sncf.com/ and https://www.sncf.com/en/groupe/patrimoine/journees-europeennes-patrimoine-2022