Haute vallée de l'Orne et affluents translated as the Upper Orne Valley and tributaries is a Natura 2000 conservation area that is 20,593 hectares in size. The site is managed by CPIE Collines normandes.
Geography
The area is focused on the sources of the Orne and its main tributaries up to Putanges-Pont-Ecrepin, the area that is prone to flooding and has water all year round.
It is spread across 66 different communes all within the Orne department;
Almenêches Argentan Aunou-le-Faucon Aunou-sur-Orne Avoine Belfonds Boischampré Boissei-la-Lande Boucé Brullemail Carrouges Le Cercueil Chailloué Le Champ-de-la-Pierre La Chapelle-près-Sées Le Château-d'Almenêches Commeaux Écouché-les-Vallées Faverolles La Ferrière-Béchet Ferrières-la-Verrerie Fleuré Francheville Giel-Courteilles Gouffern en Auge Gâprée Habloville Joué-du-Bois Joué-du-Plain Juvigny-sur-Orne La Lande-de-Goult La Lande-de-Lougé Lougé-sur-Maire Macé Médavy Le Ménil-Scelleur Merlerault-le-Pin Montabard Montmerrei Montreuil-au-Houlme Monts-sur-Orne Mortrée Moulins-sur-Orne Occagnes Putanges-le-Lac Ri Rânes Sai Saint-Brice-sous-Rânes Saint-Germain-le-Vieux Saint-Hilaire-de-Briouze Saint-Léonard-des-Parcs Saint-Martin-des-Landes Saint-Martin-l'Aiguillon Saint-Sauveur-de-Carrouges Sainte-Marguerite-de-Carrouges Sainte-Marie-la-Robert Sarceaux Sevrai Sées Sévigny Tanques Tanville Trémont Vieux-Pont Les Yveteaux
Some parts of this Natura 2000 site are within the Normandie-Maine Regional Natural Park and the area known as Suisse Normande.
Conservation
The conservation area has thirteen species listed in Annex 2 of the Habitats Directive;
Eurasian otter European bullhead Cottus perifretum Brook lamprey White-clawed crayfish Jersey tiger Marsh fritillary European stag beetle Northern crested newt Southern damselfly Orange-spotted emerald Thick shelled river mussel Desmoulin's whorl snail
In addition the Natura 2000 site has 19 habitats protected under the Habitats Directive.
References