Etang du Grand Birieux, ENS de l'Ain

The Dombes, the land of a thousand ponds, offers unique landscapes and the chance to discover age-old traditions. The ponds are home to a rich fauna and flora typical of these environments. One of the largest and most prestigious is the Grand Birieux.
Le Grand Birieux is owned by the OFB.
With a total surface area of 148.55 hectares (including 80 hectares of water), this pond is owned and managed by the Office Français de la Biodiversité (OFB).
The site has an essential piscicultural vocation.
It is home to a wide variety of bird species. Many ducks spend the winter here, including teal, pintail and various scaups. Hundreds of greylag geese regularly gather here. Several protected insects, such as the Swamp Copper (butterfly) and the Large-throated Leucorrhine (dragonfly), are also present.
All these species can be observed from the observatory to be built in 2021.
Every year, action is taken to manage the site.
The ecological restoration of habitats conducive to biodiversity is also a very important issue for the site.
The Etang du Grand Birieux is a sensitive site which plays an extremely important role for many species, particularly during the nesting season (spring/early summer) and overwintering period. Species that breed or overwinter here are highly sensitive to disturbance.
Educational events are organized on the site.

The Etang du Grand Birieux was awarded the "ENS" label by the Département de l'Ain in 2014. True natural and landscaped jewels of the Ain department, sites awarded the ENS "Espaces naturels sensibles" label are managed in such a way as to preserve the biodiversity they host, and developed for public access (with certain exceptions due to the fragility of the environments).